YouSaid · the spoken record

Al-Kidwa

lines on the record: 724
first: 1992-01-06
most recent: 2004-10-06
sittings or episodes: 59
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“We cannot continue to talk about our main subject without referring to other Israeli practices that violate the human rights of the Palestinian people or that are not compatible with, and actually endanger, the peace process. These include the repeated closures of the occupied territory, the isolation of Jerusalem and the delays in the implementation of agreements between the two sides. Some quarters in the media are presenting the closure issue just as the Israelis do, as though it were only a way to prevent Palestinians, including Palestinian labourers, from entering Israel and to prevent traffic in the other direction as well.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“What is needed now is the immediate and total cessation of all settlement activity, whatever its nature or volume - full stop. The alternative could seriously undermine the peace process. Clearly, the Palestinian situation has reached the point where the average person can no longer accept any other position or practice. The Council therefore has a basic responsibility here, in addition to the responsibilities to which I referred earlier: guaranteeing the continuation and integrity of the peace process, as the Council has done in the past with the adoption of resolution 904 (1994), which helped salvage the peace process and set it back on the right path.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“Some sources have estimated that there has been a 10- per-cent increase in the number of units built under the current Government, and other sources estimate the increase in the number of settlers as 15 per cent. Moreover, it is a fact that the Israeli Cabinet committee overseeing the matter has recently taken specific decisions to continue settlement activities, as we indicated in our letter dated 31 January 1995 addressed to the Secretary- General (S/ 1995/95). We firmly believe that any settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, constitutes a flagrant violation of the letter and the spirit of the Declaration of Principles, the Fourth Geneva Convention and relevant Security Council resolutions.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“The minimum required for negotiations in good faith is that the negotiating parties desist from creating facts on the ground that affect the negotiating process and preempt the results of that process. Unfortunately, however, the Israeli Government is doing exactly the opposite with regard to the settlements, particularly around Jerusalem, with regard to Jerusalem in general and in respect of certain other areas, such as Hebron. This situation requires the full and scrupulous implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions, the most recent among them being resolution 904 (1994). The present Government of Israel claimed that its settlements policy would be different from that of previous Governments, but the facts do not bear this out.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“No one, at least no one on the Palestinian side, imagined that the Israeli Government would actually continue carrying out its settlement policy while seeking to move forward in the peace process: the two things simply cannot be reconciled. The Declaration of Principles led to the postponement of negotiations on a number of important issues, including settlements. This, of course, does not and should not mean any change in our position or in the position of the international community in this regard, or for that matter any change in the status of the settlements, which are illegal and constitute a real obstacle to the achievement of a comprehensive peace. The same logic must be applied also to the issue of Jerusalem and to other issues on which negotiations have been postponed.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“The Council has a fundamental responsibility in this regard, including the preservation of the integrity of international law and international humanitarian law, and of the integrity of previous Security Council resolutions. It has a responsibility to ensure that justice is achieved and that hope is restored to the Palestinian people by bringing a final and comprehensive end to any and all settlement activity in the occupied territories. Then came the peace process and the historic handshake at the White House upon the signing of the Declaration of Principles, which was followed by many agreements, the most important of which was the first agreement on the implementation of the Declaration of Principles, relating to the Gaza Strip and the Jericho area.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“The settlers are a major source of repression and injustice against the Palestinian people, ranging from stealing their lands and their water, to interfering in and even destroying their daily lives - as in the case of the city of Hebron, where the presence of about 400 settlers has led to the destruction of normal life for some 80,000 Palestinians - and to repression and outright harassment by armed settlers, who in reality constitute an armed militia in the occupied Palestinian territory. Is there any comparable situation elsewhere in the world? Has anything like this ever happened in the history of the twentieth century?”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“We are witnessing a rare case in the history of the United Nations, as well as in contemporary international relations, in that a Member State has for over 25 years continued a specific policy and action, thereby creating facts on the ground, despite the consistent and clear positions taken by the Security Council and General Assembly. The failure of the Council to impose its will in this case, compared with some other cases, has allowed Israel to continue pursuing its policy up until the present date, resulting in the existence of approximately 140 settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, inhabited by approximately 300,000 settlers, including those settlers brought to East Jerusalem.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“Further, the Security Council has adopted a large number of resolutions with similar content with regard to the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention, and the Council has adopted more than five resolutions dealing primarily with the settlements and the confiscation of land. Some of these resolutions, in addition to those provisions, have called for the dismantlement of the settlements. The Council also formed a commission of three of its members to examine the matter and present reports to the Council, and this has been done.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“This has always constituted a clear violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, as well as of the resolutions of the various bodies of the United Nations. The General Assembly has adopted scores of resolutions reaffirming the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention to all the territories occupied since 1967 and calling upon Israel to abide by the provisions of the Convention. These resolutions also consider the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories to be illegal, and demand that Israel, the occupying Power, immediately cease its policy and practice of settlement-building.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“The fact is that Israel, since the early days of the occupation, under both Likud and Labour-led Governments, has confiscated Palestinian land and State-owned land for the purpose of constructing many settlements, and has transferred large numbers of Israeli settlers to those settlements in an obvious campaign to colonize the land it occupies and to change the land's demographic structure, thus paving the way to the total or partial annexation of this land. All this has been done using different methods and at different rates throughout time, in accordance with the prevailing domestic, as well as international, situation at any given period. Nevertheless, it has always been carried out in a way in which each step complemented the preceding one, amounting to a calculated policy with very clear objectives.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“Unfortunately, no great successes have been achieved in this respect, despite the significant steps that have been taken and despite some accomplishments towards the achievement of the goals for which we strive. One of the harshest things endured by our people, which is also a grave violation of their inalienable rights, is the campaign of settler colonialism waged on Palestinian lands occupied by Israel, the occupying Power, since 1967, including Jerusalem. This campaign was carried out in the past, and continues to be waged, before the very eyes of the international community, and despite the will and the stated positions of the United Nations as set forth in various relevant resolutions.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“Throughout their recent history the Palestinian people have been subjected to grave injustices, including the uprooting of a large proportion of them from their land and homes and the subjugation of those who remained to occupation, repression and the denial of their right to self-determination, a right due to all the peoples of the Earth. For many years, the international community, including with the United Nations, has been dealing with the question of Palestine in all its aspects in an attempt to put an end to the injustice done to the Palestinian people and to allow for the achievement of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“Mr. Al-Kidwa (Palestine) (interpretation from Arabic): Mr. President, it is our pleasure to participate in the deliberations in the Security Council during the few remaining hours before the end of this month under your wise presidency. Allow me, Sir, to seize this opportunity to express my congratulations to you on a very successful presidency of the Security Council during the month of February, and also to express to the friendly country of Botswana our congratulations on its being a member of the Security Council. Allow me also to commend the presidency of the Permanent Representative of Argentina, Ambassador Emilio Cardenas, with whom we were proud to cooperate on this issue when it was submitted for consideration by the Council in January.”
1995-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3505 (1995) · source
“These steps include the official and total cessation of all settlement activities, the disarming of the settlers, the removal of the settlers from towns and villages, especially from Hebron, and the expediting of negotiations on final solutions for the settlement question. Such steps could create a different situation, and they all fit within the framework of the Declaration of Principles and are perfectly in line with its provisions. The Palestinian people need to be convinced that Israel is serious about peace. That, however, will be very difficult to do without their first becoming convinced that no more massacres will be committed aqainst them in the future.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“The restarting of the process and its successful conclusion depend on the credibility of the process, the credibility of its sponsors and the credibility of its participants - especially the Israeli Government, which should adopt clear measures to respond to the pain and the needs of our people and not only to deal with the negative impact of the massacre on the Israeli side. We have taken due note of the measures taken by the Israeli Government so far and we have said that they are steps in the right direction; however, they definitely fall short of meeting the requirements for rescuing the peace process. In the past, we have repeatedly enumerated steps in this regard which it is Israel's duty to adopt.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“However, the real positive and qualitative impact will take place with the implementation of the resolution, not only with its adoption, and with the creation of a concrete, material situation which can be felt by the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory. That can be achieved, basically, by means of the international presence mentioned in the resolution. We, the Palestinians, have a vested interest in the peace process and its success, and we are committed to it. But, at the same time, we say that the resumption of this 20 process as if nothing had happened is not feasible, and suggesting such a thing is unacceptable and even immoral.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“We believe that the main task now is_ the implementation of the resolution. For our part, we will work with the parties concerned to begin this implementation immediately. The experience of our people with previous Security Council resolutions is not a happy one, and we strongly hope that things will be different this time. With regard to the relationship between this resolution and the peace process, we agree with those who assert that this resolution cannot be viewed in isolation from the peace process, and we believe that the resolution will have a positive impact on that process.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“The Council then requests the co-sponsors of the peace process to undertake the necessary support for the implementation of those measures. The main issue here, as members are aware, is the provision of protection for the Palestinian civilians under occupation. The materialization of such protection will lead to the creation of a new situation on the ground in which our people may start to have a normal life, albeit a limited one, until the end of the occupation. The Security Council, as is clear from the resolution, did not get into the details 19 of this issue. That fact does not, however, absolve the Council from its responsibilities towards the implementation of the resolution in the direction defined by the Council today and decided in its previous resolutions, particularly resolution 681 (1990).”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“The resolution adopted today by the Council is undoubtedly an essential and important step forward. The resolution itself demonstrates that the Council has upheld its own responsibilities towards the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem. In this resolution, the Council, after it strongly condemns Al-Khalil massacre, calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, given its obligations and responsibilities, to take specific measures, including confiscation of arms, with the aim of preventing illegal acts of violence by Israeli settlers. The Council, at the same time, calls for measures to be taken to guarantee the safety and protection of the Palestinian civilians throughout the occupied territory, including a temporary international or foreign presence.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“Arab East Jerusalem has been an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territory since 1967, and, according to relevant Security Council resolutions and the principles of international law, all measures taken by Israel, the occupying Power, aimed at changing the status of Jerusalem are null and void. If the Declaration of Principles has any bearing on this, it should be understood in favor of the position of the international community and not the opposite, since Israel accepted in principle that the final status of Jerusalem will be subject to negotiation. We hope that no party would contemplate distorting or manipulating the facts or would attempt to change the realities related to these important issues, because such attempts would certainly lead to dangerous results, which must be avoided.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“With reference to the question of the potential impact of the Declaration of Principles on the question of Jerusalem and on other important issues such as settlements and refugees, which have been postponed until the second stage of negotiations between the two sides, I categorically affirm that the legal and political status of those issues is determined by international law and international legitimacy. Furthermore, postponement of negotiations on those issues has no bearing whatsoever on their current legal and political status. For example, according to international humanitarian law - specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 - and several Security Council resolutions, the settlements are illegal and constitute obstacles to peace. They remain so, whether negotiations have taken place or not. The same applies to Jerusalem.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“Here, we wish to express our disappointment and our deep concern at the abstention today of the delegation of the United States of America in the vote on the last preambular paragraph in the resolution as well as in the vote on the second preambular paragraph, which came as a total surprise to us at the very last moment. We earnestly hope that those abstentions do not signal a departure from the United States long-held consistent position on this sensitive issue.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“It is well known that reference to Jerusalem as part of the occupied territories has been a consistent practice of the Council for a long time. In point of fact, every single resolution relating to the Palestinian issue adopted by the Council in the past has contained this language formulation, in preambular paragraphs and, indeed, in operative paragraphs alike. Thus, the Council's adoption of the same language today only reflects continuation of this policy. Any attempt to change this language poses the danger of a change in this policy.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“Baruch Goldstein, in spite of the fact that he has become the symbol of the problem, both in its origins and in its outcome. Thus there can be no serious or real solutions to this problem without the adoption of new policies aimed at the reversal of the situation existing today and, at a later stage, the dismantlement of the settlements. The second issue, which we raise as a result of discussions which have taken place here in the Council and which have been tainted by disinformation, regards the reference, in the text of this resolution, to Jerusalem as part of the occupied territories since 1967 and the relationship between this reference and theIsraeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles of 13 September 1993.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“To the emerging details about the massacre itself - including the sudden and suspicious absence of the Israeli security elements at the beginning of the massacre and their participation in the shooting afterwards, and the policies implemented by the security forces of Israel, the occupying Power, with regard to the Israeli settlers - confirm once again the validity of our general position that the massacre and all other heinous manifestations are simply the natural outcome of the ideology and mentality of settler colonialism in our Palestinian land. The problem, then, is the illegal presence of settlers on our land. This cannot be reduced to the presence of extremist settlers only, in spite of the fact that they are the worst, and it definitely cannot be reduced to Mr.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“The repressive measures of the occupying authorities, particularly the Israeli army, against our people in the occupied territory are continuing unabated. Such measures include extensive curfews and indiscriminate shooting, which have resulted in a number of deaths and injuries exceeding the casualties resulting from the massacre itself. We strongly demand the immediate cessation of all these illegitimate practices, which the Council has condemned repeatedly.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“This lengthy delay has undoubtedly generated a great deal of suspicion and many questions among the Palestinian people and in the Arab region as a whole with regard to the Council's desire - or, for that matter, its ability, because of the position of a permanent member - effectively to fulfil its responsibilities with the required speed when it comes to the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East. We hope that the future will see a reversal of this picture. Before setting out our understanding of today's resolution and its place in the overall context of the situation in the Middle East, we would like to draw members' attention to two important issues. The first concerns events in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, since the massacre and the emerging facts about the massacre itself.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“We worked hard with them, including the co-sponsors of the Middle East peace process, to remove all obstacles and problems in connection with the adoption of this resolution. In this respect, we convey special thanks to the non-aligned members of the Council for all the valuable support and assistance they have given us. At the same time, we cannot but note that three weeks have elapsed since the appalling massacre of our people in Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi in Al-Khalil.”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“Mr. Al-Kidwa (Palestine) (interpretation from Arabic): Although this question has been before the 18 Council for a long time, this is the first time I have made a statement to the Council this month. It is my pleasure, Sir, to extend to you our sincere congratulations on your assumption of the presidency, as the representative of France, a friendly and glorious country. Your wisdom and views have made a great difference in the results achieved by the Council today. We give you credit for that. We also thank Ambassador Olhaye, Permanent Representative of sisterly Djibouti, for his able stewardship of the Council last month. I would also like to offer our thanks and appreciation to the members of the Security Council for adopting this important resolution, resoluion 904 (1994).”
1994-03-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3351 (1994) · source
“Unfortunately, this is not the first time that we find ourselves here in the Security Council as a result of a massacre committed against the Palestinian people, with all the suffering this entails. But we hope that this will be the last time. It all depends on the international community.”
1994-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3340 (1994) · source
“We also ask that the settlers be immediately offered the possibility of leaving the territories quickly, after receiving compensation from the Government of Israel. Furthermore, in the framework of the Declaration of Principles Signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, the pace of the negotiations on the settlements must be speeded up, in accordance with certain priorities, in order to defuse the explosive situation which exists as a result of the existence of these illegal settlements. We therefore call for a new policy that will respond to the dangerous situation and will take seriously into account the guestion of the settlements and, hence, the question of peace in general.”
1994-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3340 (1994) · source
“First, we must reaffirm that Israel and the Government of Israel are responsible for what has taken place, given the fact that the Israeli army is usually present in considerable strength in the area of the Mosque of Abraham and did nothing to prevent what took place; indeed, it could be said that it even participated in the act. Israel's responsibility in this matter results from the official policy adopted regarding settlements in general. What we ask today of the Israeli Government is that it adopt a number of measures reflecting a real change in its policy regarding settlements. The settlers must be disarmed, all the settlements must be dismantled and the activities of the settlers in all the occupied territories, including Jerusalem must finally cease; it is not a question of merely limiting or reducing the number of settlements.”
1994-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3340 (1994) · source
“We believe that the measures I have referred to are required in order to convince our suffering Palestinian people that the parties are acting in good faith and that they understand the Palestinians' concerns, in order to convince them that the peace process is credible. In this context, we believe that the Security Council should rapidly adopt a new resolution in which it would strongly condemn this massacre perpetrated against our people and would assume its responsibility for the protection of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories, in accordance with previous resolutions adopted by the Security Council, in particular resolution 681 (1990). I turn now to the measures we are calling on the Israeli party to take.”
1994-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3340 (1994) · source
“International law, justice and the natural duty of the Security Council require such action. Urgent action is called for also in order to save the peace process, which is currently under way. We thank the international community for its condemnation of this crime, this massacre. On behalf of the Palestinian people, we thank all those who have expressed condolences to and solidarity with our people, in particular the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali. We also acknowledge with heartfelt sentiments the initiatives taken by several parties, in particular by President Clinton, to ensure that the peace process continues and yields results.”
1994-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3340 (1994) · source
“What has made the situation more serious is that the Israeli army, after the massacre had been committed, and faced with the legitimate outrage of Palestinians, shot at them in the cruel manner that we all witnessed on our television screens. This resulted in the death of 10 Palestinians and the wounding of some hundred others, in the vicinity of the Mosque of Abraham and throughout the occupied territories, including Jerusalem. These incidents are continuing, causing more victims among the Palestinian people each and every day. The situation is very dangerous and continues to deteriorate daily. It therefore reguires urgent and decisive action on the part of the international community, represented by the Security Council, as well as on the part of Israel, the occupying Power.”
1994-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3340 (1994) · source
“The settlers have been heavily armed. Israel and its occupying forces have carried out all kinds of illegal practices, not in keeping with law or logic. What has taken place must be understood in that context: it is a result of the campaign of illegitimate Israeli settlements and the climate this has created, and not an isolated act, regardless of the numbers involved in the commission of the crime. In any event, we remain convinced - and all the evidence points in this direction - that the massacre was committed by several persons, including the main perpetrator, who, unfortunately, had arrived in the occupied territories from the United States of America.”
1994-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3340 (1994) · source
“It is perhaps difficult to imagine anything worse, because this crime was committed during the holy month of Ramadan, in the city of Hebron, the site of the tomb of Abraham - in a holy place, ina place of worship, in the Ibrahimi mosque, while worshippers were saying the dawn prayer, bowing down before God. Fire was opened on them indiscriminately, killing many faithful. More than 50 martyrs fell, and more than 200 people were wounded. This abominable massacre was committed by elements introduced into Palestinian territory in flagrant violation of international law, in particular the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 and a number of Security Council resolutions. The cause of this act is the policy pursued up to this very day by successive Israeli Governments in connection with the establishment of settlements.”
1994-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3340 (1994) · source
“We appreciate the positive change in the American position in this regard; we attribute it to the new political climate now generally prevailing in the Middle East region. At the same time, we regret the Council's delay in taking decisive measures with respect to this very important question that has been before it since Friday last. While very much appreciating your having called this formal meeting of the Council, Mr. President, we stress the need for the Council to act quickly. Last Friday, at dawn, local time, yet another abominable massacre was perpetrated against our people in the occupied Palestinian territory: it was the most heinous massacre in our history since Israel's occupation of our territory began in 1967.”
1994-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3340 (1994) · source
“Mr. AL-KIDWA (Palestine) (interpretation from Arabic): Allow me at the outset, Mr. President, during these final hours of February, to extend to you my warm congratulations on your stewardship of the Security Council. We are pleased to see the representative of Djibouti, a fraternal Arab country, presiding over our very important meeting. Allow me also, Mr. President, to take this opportunity to convey our congratulations to the new members of the Security Council: Argentina, the Czech Republic, Nigeria, Oman and Rwanda. We wish them every success in their work in the Council. We are pleased that the Council has unanimously agreed to allow the Permanent Observer of Palestine to participate in the work of the Council, without the right to vote.”
1994-02-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3340 (1994) · source
“We came to speak before this Council about the same time last year, and it was late at night, if memory serves. Here I should like to repeat what we said then. We wish to convey the greetings of the people of Palestine and their best wishes to the members of this Council, as the Christmas and the new year approach. We sincerely hope that the new year will bring us closer to peace in the land of peace and in the entire Middle East region.”
1992-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3151 (1992) · source
“We maintain that the Council should take into account its previous relevant resolutions and the various Israeli positions and actions vis-a-vis those resolutions. The Council should also take into account what we have mentioned regarding the destructive implications of the Israeli action. The Security Council should not only uphold international law and its previous resolutions, but should also act in the interests of peace. We hope that the Council will adopt unanimously the draft resolution now before it and that it will act immediately to send the right message to all parties in the region, particularly the Israeli Government. In this case, we should like to see a prompt and rigorous implementation of the provisions of this resolution as part of a serious follow-up to the whole matter.”
1992-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3151 (1992) · source
“Allow me to address also another aspect of the action by the occupation authority: the violation of the sovereignty of another sister Arab country, Lebanon, through the deportation action. Allow me also to draw the attention of the Council to the current situation of the deportees and the severe and inhuman conditions they face at this very moment. We believe the Security Council should immediately address this very serious issue of mass deportation by the Israeli Government. The Council should show firm resolve and take proper action in order to ensure the immediate return of the deportees and to ensure that other, similar actions will not be taken in the future by Israel, the occupying Power.”
1992-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3151 (1992) · source
“We call upon the international community and the co-sponsors of the Peace Conference in particular to make serious efforts in order to salvage the peace process, which means to begin to return those deportees and all the other persons who have been deported since the beginning of the occupation. Some Israeli quarters talk of "temporary deportation", and try to differentiate between that and other forms of deportation. This is the same sort of talk, by the same sources about the political settlements and how different they are from security settlements. Obviously, this is totally unacceptable, and any illegal action, under international law, will remain illegal irrespective of the size of such action, its timing and the passage of time.”
1992-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3151 (1992) · source
“This indeed calls into serious doubt its intentions regarding the peace process as a whole. The Palestinian delegation to the peace talks was forced to boycott the meeting yesterday morning, which was supposed to be the last in the eighth round of talks, pending the final decision by the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organization on the principle of continuing with this process as a whole. The Palestinian side cannot agree to continue to participate in the peace process while Israel continues to pursue its illegal and repressive practices and policies against the Palestinian people in the occupied territories, especially the policy of deportation. Also, we cannot continue to participate in a process that cannot make any progress and is used by the other side only as a smokescreen for Israeli practices.”
1992-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3151 (1992) · source
“At the political level, the action by the Israeli Government to carry out the deportation despite the many appeals and contacts by numerous parties and responsible individuals throughout the world with a view to persuading the Israeli Government to at least refrain from such action proves once again that the Israeli Government pays no heed to such contacts and appeals or indeed to international public opinion as a whole. Perhaps one of the most important political aspects of this action is what the result of such Israeli action will be in terms of seriously Sabotaging and even destroying completely the ongoing peace process launched in Madrid in September last year. The Israeli Government was fully aware of the destructive implications of such action when it embarked on it.”
1992-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3151 (1992) · source
“This is yet another vivid new example of the methods of depopulating the Palestinian territory by deporting Palestinian citizens. What happened is a combination of illegal deportation, mass punishment -- prohibited under international law - in a flagrant challenge by Israel, the occupying Power, to the international community, the United Nations and especially to this Council, which time and again has tried to stop Israel from repeating these practices.”
1992-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3151 (1992) · source
“Yesterday, the 17th of December, under a court order by an Israeli court, the Israeli authorities deported 383 Palestinian citizens from their homeland, across the northern Israeli border, in the direction of the territory of the Lebanese Republic. This Israeli action, on top of its being a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, especially of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, of all the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and of the basic tenets of human rights, represents an unprecedented qualitative escalation of this kind of action by the Israeli Government. What happened actually represents a mass deportation that is tantamount to the infamous racial policy of "transfer", and is not so very different from the practices of "ethnic cleansing" and of other forms of racism.”
1992-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3151 (1992) · source
“Mr. AL-KIDWA (Palestine) (interpretation from Arabic): Allow me, Sir, at the outset, to express to you our great pleasure at seeing you in the post of President of the Security Council during the discussion by the Council of this most important subject. Allow me also, Sir, to express our best wishes to you in fulfilling your mandate. At the same time, I should like to extend our congratulations to the Ambassador of Hungary for his able stewardship of the Council during the past month. As members are aware, the day before yesterday, 16 December 1992, the Israeli Government ordered the deportation of 418 civilian Palestinians from the occupied Palestinian territory, including Al-Quds. Israeli authorities also arrested some 1,600 Palestinian citizens over the past few days.”
1992-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3151 (1992) · source
“Other mesber countries of the Arab Group will speak in the Council and focus on certain aspects of the item under consideration which are of great importance to the Group. Please allow me in conclusion to say that we must act together, promptiy, to put an end to this tragedy. We must act together, urgently, to spare the world the daunting prospect of facing yet another chronic tragedy that may jen r Rete i drag on and on for years.”
1992-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.3136 (1992) · source