YouSaid · the spoken record

Mansour

lines on the record: 2,038
first: 2006-03-30
most recent: 2023-12-22
sittings or episodes: 126
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 must build upon the momentum generated and proceed with peace efforts in a serious manner, with the fortitude to overcome the obstacles that will inevitably arise to the achievement of a final peace settlement. On the Palestinian side, we are willing and ready. President Abbas, with support and a mandate from all Palestinian political groups, is prepared to negotiate final status issues unconditionally. If there is a partner for peace on the Israeli side to negotiate with us without conditions, we are ready. It is at the negotiating table where both sides can bring their concerns and it is there that real dialogue can take place, understandings be reached and solutions found. Those who continue to impose conditions before negotiations do not want peace, for such conditions are just empty excuses to delay and avoid peacemaking.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“A follow-up Arab Ministerial Committee meeting took place last week and decided on some practical steps to invigorate the Arab Peace Initiative, including plans to meet with the members of the Security Council, the Secretary-General and the members of the Quartet. The Ministerial Committee also decided to call for an international conference, under the auspices of the United Nations and the other members of the Quartet, for all parties to the conflict to attend. Those two components provide us - Palestine, Israel, the international community, the members of the Quartet and, of course, the Security Council - with a historic opportunity. This opportunity should not be lost like so many before it.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“The Arab Peace Initiative, first adopted by the Arab Summit in Beirut in 2002, was reaffirmed by the recent Arab Summit held in Riyadh under the leadership and encouragement of the Saudi Government. Full peace and normalization of relations are being offered to Israel in exchange for full withdrawal from the territories occupied by Israel in 1967 and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State on the basis of the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, along with a just and agreed upon solution for Palestine refugees on the basis of General Assembly resolution 194 (III) of 1948.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“There is a window of opportunity before us. On the Palestinian side as well as on the Arab side, efforts are being made to seize this opportunity and to move forward. A key component on our part has been the formation of the Palestinian National Unity Government, the political platform of which affirms, among other things, respect for all previous agreements. President Abbas has been mandated by that Government, and thus by all political groups - including Hamas, which is significant and unprecedented - to negotiate with Israel, the occupying Power, a just and final peace settlement. A second component constitutes the efforts being exerted by the Arab countries.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“Those promoting this culture of fear continue to oppose any ceasefire and any steps that may revive the peace process. They are the same ones who support the policies intended to make Gaza a massive prison, for it is clear that those seeking peace would not lock in the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza, further impoverishing them, compounding their suffering and pushing them to the brink, fuelling violence and extremism. Doing this is not in the interest of peace, but will certainly feed the culture of fear necessary for promoting their twisted and illogical agenda. This unlawful situation must be brought to an end. It is unjustifiable, unethical, illogical and dangerous and will sabotage any progress made, whether by the Palestinian Authority itself on the ground or by any of the parties concerned, vis-a-vis the peace process.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“The occupying Power violates the human rights of the Palestinian people on a daily basis, including violating their right to life, and then somehow perpetuates the perception that the Israeli people must be afraid and live in fear of those whom they are occupying and subjugating. That distortion is promoted in Israel by those pursuing a narrow extremist agenda, who believe that a ceasefire in the West Bank will undermine support for that agenda. If there is calm, how can they continue to shore up support for such unjustifiable and criminal actions in the occupied Palestinian territory? How can they continue to muster support for the wall, the settlements, the checkpoints, the siege of Jerusalem and the collective punishment of the Palestinian people from the majority of the Israeli populace, which seeks peace?”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“Moreover, the agreement among Palestinian factions on a ceasefire and calm remains in force, but Israel, the occupying Power, has yet to reciprocate in any meaningful way, instead continuing to pursue its violent, illegal policies and continuing to promote its distortions of the reality on the ground. In that regard, we must ask: Why has Israel not accepted the Palestinian offer to extend the ceasefire to the West Bank? Why has Israel not accepted the hand of peace extended to it? Clearly, there is an ongoing phenomenon in Israel wherein the victimizer - the occupier - promotes a culture for its people to live in fear of their victims.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“Additionally, the Palestinian people continue to suffer from the international sanctions imposed on them and Israel's unlawful withholding of millions of dollars of Palestinian tax revenues following the democratic election of their representatives last year. The Palestinian reality is harsh and depressing. Yet, despite all the foregoing and despite the internal difficulties we have had to face in terms of law and order on the ground, the Palestinian leadership, widely supported by the Palestinian people, continues to earnestly pursue peace. A National Unity Government has been formed, representing the Palestinian political spectrum, and has given President Mahmoud Abbas the mandate to pursue a final peace settlement.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“Such actions have worsened the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza - with the poverty rate now over 70 per cent and dependency on food aid widespread - and serve only to further fuel frustrations and tensions among the imprisoned civilian population in Gaza. Overall, such illegal and unjust Israeli practices constitute collective punishment of the Palestinian people and have had a devastating impact on the socio- economic situation and far-reaching humanitarian consequences. Those policies have prevented any normalcy of life for the Palestinian people and have only brought more misery and hardship for Palestinian families to bear.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“The security pretext cannot justify those checkpoints, which are intended to completely control the movement of persons and goods and clearly function as part of the occupying Power's attempts to constantly dehumanize, humiliate, harass and subjugate the Palestinian people under its occupation. Moreover, it is undeniable that the checkpoints have devastated the Palestinian economy and deepened the humanitarian crisis. In addition, the occupying Power has continued to impose frequent closures on the occupied Palestinian territory as a whole, subjecting in particular the Rafah crossing in the Gaza Strip - the only point of entry and exit for Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip - to repeated and arbitrary closures.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“It is also obvious that the continued colonization of Palestinian land Via the settlements and the wall is shredding the territorial integrity of the Palestinian territory and gravely threatens the prospects for physically achieving the two-State solution in accordance with United Nations resolutions and the Quartet road map. In that regard, the more than 500 checkpoints and roadblocks erected by the occupying Power in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, have totally bisected the territory and continue to severely restrict freedom of movement throughout the territory, as well as into and out of it. Even humanitarian and medical personnel, including those of the United Nations, continue to be subject to such restrictions on movement and harassment.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“The occupying Power is also still confiscating Palestinian land and destroying Palestinian property for its unlawful construction of the wall - an apartheid wall that has completely walled in several Palestinian cities and towns into isolated Bantustans, destroyed thousands upon thousands of livelihoods, and devastated entire communities. It is obvious that the occupying Power continues to pursue such practices with the direct intent of entrenching and fortifying its illegal settlements and its illegal measures of de facto annexation in the Palestinian territory.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“The occupying Power continues to illegally expand and construct settlements, to build Jewish-only bypass roads to serve those settlements, and to allow the illegal Israeli settlers to act with impunity towards the Palestinian civilian population. Palestinian civilians, including children, continue to be subjected to violence, harassment, intimidation and vandalism perpetrated by armed, fanatical Israeli settlers, particularly in the area of Al- Khalil. None have been held accountable for their criminal acts, further emboldening them to continue terrorizing the Palestinian people.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“As stated earlier, Israel, the occupying Power, is also intensifying its colonial settlement campaign and its construction of the wall in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, in grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and other provisions of applicable international law, in flagrant violation of United Nations resolutions, and in total disrespect for the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice. The land grab continues, expansionism continues, and attempts to de facto annex large areas of Palestinian land, particularly in and around occupied East Jerusalem, continue.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“At present, there are more than 11,000 Palestinian prisoners, including more than 100 women and at least 300 children, being held in Israeli jails and detention centres, most in inhumane conditions and many subject to torture. This month, the Palestinian people solemnly marked the passage of yet another Prisoner's Day, calling for the release of all those being arbitrarily and illegally imprisoned by Israel and for their humane treatment until the achievement of their freedom. Regrettably, the occupying Power has rejected one initiative after another aimed at releasing Palestinian prisoners, including efforts that would facilitate the release of the captive Israeli soldier and surely reduce tensions between the two sides.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“In addition, the threat of a massive Israeli invasion of Gaza continues to loom, as indicated by the declarations of several Israeli officials. The Israeli occupying forces have also continued to carry out arrest campaigns and raids throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, disrupting the daily cycle of life and recklessly endangering the lives of civilians. In that regard, the occupying forces have continued the deplorable practice of using Palestinian civilians, including children, as human shields during door-to-door searches in some of those raids. The result of such roundups and arrests has been a rapid increase in the number of Palestinian civilians imprisoned or detained by Israel, the occupying Power.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“In recent days, Israel, the occupying Power, has continued carrying out destructive and deadly military attacks throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, further terrorizing and traumatizing the besieged civilian population and inflicting more human and material loss on the Palestinian people. More Palestinian civilians, including children, were killed and injured by the Israeli occupying forces during this period as a result of the continued use of excessive, indiscriminate and lethal force. Glaring proof of Israel's continuing disregard for Palestinian life are the acts of aggression committed by it within a 24-hour period this past weekend, which resulted in the killing of nine Palestinians, including two children.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“Thus, while hopes are rising among the Palestinian people, and while their leadership makes efforts to improve living conditions and revive the peace negotiations, the critical situation that they face daily as a result of the occupying Power's actions, along with the unjust international sanctions imposed on them, tempers and threatens to extinguish those hopes. The reality in the occupied Palestinian territory is a depressing one, but it is one that must be discussed. While we believe that it is necessary for all of us to focus efforts on reviving the peace process and promoting a positive climate, we also believe that it is necessary to draw attention to that reality in order to provide a complete picture of the situation the Palestinian people are actually facing, for no peace effort can succeed under such conditions.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“Such actions are in stark contradiction to the peace efforts and exacerbate the dire situation on the ground, inflaming tensions and cynicism and undermining the resumption of dialogue and negotiation. Indeed, the backdrop for the current peace efforts remains that of a crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, in which the Palestinian people continue to suffer from the serious violations and grave breaches of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, that continue to be committed by the occupying Power on a daily basis.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“Those efforts have rekindled the hopes of the Palestinian people and all concerned parties for a breakthrough that will stem the deterioration of the situation and create an environment more conducive to dialogue and substantive peace negotiations. Regrettably, however, while these efforts are taking place, Israel, the occupying Power, continues to actively carry out illegal policies and practices aimed at sustaining its nearly 40-year-old occupation of the Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. While everyone else talks of peace, Israel's colonization campaign continues, its military aggression on the Palestinian civilian population continues and its collective punishment of the Palestinian people as a whole continues.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“This is also an opportune moment to express our appreciation to His Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for his recent visit to the occupied Palestinian territory, where he witnessed first-hand the difficulties on the ground, including, inter alia, the encroachment of the settlements and the wall on all aspects of life and the humanitarian crisis being faced by the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation. As highlighted during today's briefing, multiple efforts are being made by several parties - particularly the Arab countries, the new Palestinian National Unity Government and the members of the Quartet - to revive the peace process with a View to a resumption of direct negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides and, ultimately, a just and peaceful resolution of this tragic conflict.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“I congratulate you, Sir, and your country, the United Kingdom, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of April. Palestine is pleased to see you, Minister Howell, presiding over our debate today. I want to assure you that the Palestinian leadership - especially President Abbas - is doing everything it can to secure the release of the BBC journalist Alan Johnston. I express our appreciation to South Africa as well for its skilful leadership of the Council last month. I also thank Under-Secretary-General Pascoe for his briefing to the Council today on the current situation. I should also like to place on record our thanks and appreciation to Mr. Alvaro de Soto for his service and the role he has played. Our leadership will express Palestine's gratitude to him in due course.”
2007-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5667 (2007) · source
“Illegal actions such as those taken by Israel in occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, in addition to Israel's continued settlement activity and the construction of its wall, could prove to be a catalyst for this historic moment to slip away. This cannot be an option. The Palestinian people have invested more than a decade on initiatives that have promised them a world of change. The time has now come to offer real and genuine proposals that promise a just and lasting peace: one in which a Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital, will be established. That will guarantee freedom, peace and security for all.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“If the Council were to succeed in fulfilling those obligations and halted and reversed Israeli actions in this regard, it would indeed have played an extremely crucial role, a role not only in addressing this perilous situation and in upholding international law, including international humanitarian law, but also in creating the necessary environment favourable for enabling the peace process to move forward and in order for a final agreement to be reached between the two sides. We sincerely hope that this will be achieved. Moreover, the rest of the international community also has an obligation to the parties and must ensure that no unilateral measures are taken that endanger the fragile prospect of peace we now are presented with.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“In numerous Security Council resolutions, the Council has affirmed the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention to all the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, and has repeatedly declared that all of the measures and arrangements taken by Israel, including legislative and administrative ones, aimed at changing the legal status, demographic composition and character of the city are null and void and without any legal validity whatsoever. This is the immediate responsibility of the Council, in accordance with the United Nations Charter.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“In a recent statement on this matter, UNESCO called on the Israeli Government to halt its illegal actions and stated that the distinctive character of the Old City of Jerusalem derives, in particular, from the close relationship between the historical and religious buildings and the peoples living with them and noted that interfering with the delicate balance among the symbols of the three monotheistic religions would entail running the risk of undermining respect for sacred beliefs. It is also important to remind the Council that the afore-mentioned action by Israel has been committed in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention, of 1949, and The Hague Regulations of 1907 and in blatant defiance of relevant Security Council resolutions.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“Has Israel not learned from previous dangerous actions it has taken, including the infamous visit of Ariel Sharon to the holy shrines of East Jerusalem, which ignited the second intifada - the Al-Aqsa intifada? It should be recalled that the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls are protected by the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and are inscribed on the United Nations World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“This illegal action by Israel, the occupying Power, is indeed endangering the sanctity, integrity and foundations of the holy Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Moreover, this has sparked serious alarm and clearly presents an indication that the intentions of the Israeli Government are not to promote peace but rather to agitate the Muslims and Christians in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem. Such measures also enrage the peoples of the Arab world and Muslims and Christians throughout the world. In a scene reminiscent of the incidents that led to the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa intifada on 28 September 2000, on Friday, 9 February 2007, Israeli occupying forces stormed the holy Al-Aqsa mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, using excessive force against Palestinian worshippers and wounding dozens of them.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“Now the question that presents itself is whether Israel is ready for real and genuine talks to commence, which will forever terminate its occupation of the territories occupied since 1967. It is apparent that we are faced with a historic moment which must be seized by all parties interested in a genuine and long-lasting peace. However, recent developments have continued to dash hopes of peace among the Palestinian people. These include the condemnable and outrageous decision taken by the Israeli Government on Sunday, 11 February 2007, to continue with the politically motivated and extremely explosive construction and so-called excavation work under the Al-Burag wall in the holy Al-Aqsa mosque compound.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“Hence, what needs to happen for this to transpire is for a specific timeline to be established, with a mechanism of monitoring, in order to finally reach a just and comprehensive agreement. In this regard, an international conference could provide a way to accomplish these objectives. The Palestinian side has spoken. We are ready. We have unified our people and the ranks of our leadership. President Abbas, as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO, the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, has the mandate to negotiate peace based on international legitimacy, including United Nations resolutions, the Road Map and the Arab Peace Initiative.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“This will be based on the termination of the Israeli occupation and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State, based on 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and reaching a just solution to the refugees issue in accordance with General Assembly resolution 194 (III) of 1948. If that meeting proves to be a success - and we hope it does - it will greatly influence the success of future meetings, including the upcoming Quartet meeting to be held this month in Berlin. The international community has repeatedly reiterated its call for Israel to end its occupation, which started in 1967, and has voiced its support for the vision of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and within secure borders.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“The first part will be of a practical nature: to discuss issues such as the release of prisoners, the release of taxes belonging to the Palestinian Authority, the implementation of the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access and the lifting of restrictions on the movement of Palestinian persons and goods in the West Bank, as well as extending the ceasefire to the West Bank. Nearly all of these issues were discussed at the last meeting between President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert; many of them have yet to be implemented. The second element will be regarding the overall political process. President Abbas will reiterate the readiness of the Palestinian side for talks on the final- status issues to commence at once.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“It is certainly our conviction that the future formation of a national unity Government based on the above-mentioned principles should provide for the lifting of the financial blockade imposed against the Palestinian people by some in the international community after democratic elections were held in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, in January last year. The success of the Palestinian leaders in placing the larger issues facing the Palestinian people before political disagreements produces a constructive environment for the upcoming meeting, to be held on 19 February 2007, between President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, under the auspices of United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The meeting will have two different elements.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“The President will call on the prime minister of the next Government to abide by the interests of the Palestinian people, to protect their rights, to preserve and develop their achievements and to work towards achieving their national goals as ratified by the resolutions of the Palestine National Council, the Basic Law, the National Conciliation Document and the resolutions of Arab summits. Accordingly, President Abbas will also call on the prime minister of the next Government to respect Arab and international agreements signed by the Palestinian Liberation Organization.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“The leaders of the Palestinian people pledged their commitment to the agreement in letter and in spirit and pledged to devote their efforts to eliminating the Israeli occupation and regaining the national rights of the Palestinian people. Moreover, key issues, such as occupied East Jerusalem, the Palestinian refugees, the prisoners and detainees, and the continuation of the illegal construction by Israel of its wall and settlements throughout the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, will be given top priority. Furthermore, in his capacity as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and President of the Palestinian National Authority, President Mahmoud Abbas will commission Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh to form the next Palestinian Government in the next couple of days.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“The dialogue culminated in a successful agreement between the leaders of the Palestinian people. We thank Saudi Arabia for this valuable effort and we also thank all the other Arab leaders who have contributed to this success. In this regard, the agreement endorsed the cessation of any and all internal strife among Palestinians and approved the speedy formation of a national unity Government. The importance of national unity was reaffirmed in order to achieve the legitimate national goals of the Palestinian people. As such, peaceful dialogue will now serve as the sole basis for solving political differences among Palestinians.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“At the outset, I should like to extend, on behalf of my delegation, our congratulations to you, Sir, on the assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of February, and to wish you every success in guiding the work of the Council to a fruitful conclusion. We should also like to express our appreciation to your predecessor, the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, for the able leadership demonstrated during the month of January. We thank Mr. Alvaro de Soto for his briefing and for his participation in today's meeting. Based on the initiative put forth by His Majesty the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and under his auspices, a dialogue on Palestinian national conciliation was held last week.”
2007-02-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5629 (2007) · source
“If that objective can be achieved, the Middle East region will enjoy peace, security, coexistence and prosperity. Is this not the ultimate objective that we all are seeking - one that we have been seeking for a number of years?”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source
“These measures include the complete withdrawal of Israel from all Arab territory occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem, in order to guarantee the establishment of two States, Israel, which already exists, and a Palestine to be established on the Palestinian territory that was occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem. A just and negotiated solution must be found to the question of Palestinian refugees, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 194 (III) of 1948. I repeat here that the proposals made by President Abbas during the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, 29 November 2006 - namely, that a Palestinian State will be a peaceful State, living in security and peace, in good neighbourliness with its neighbours, including Israel - will be a fundamental pillar for regional and international security.”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source
“We reaffirm that there are a number of opportunities for achieving peace in the Middle East through serious negotiation and through the adoption of mechanisms to create a positive climate for resumption of negotiations so that the objective we are all seeking can be achieved - namely, the restoration of peace. The Security Council, as the body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, therefore, must shoulder its tasks, take the necessary measures to set up an appropriate environment and assist the parties to reach a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the Arab-Israeli problem, at the very heart of which is the Palestinian question.”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source
“Israel must honour its commitments in accordance with international law and international humanitarian law, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, by respecting the applicability of this Convention in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. The imperative for peace in the Middle East requires the occupying Power, Israel, to renounce its tactical manoeuvres by which it claims that is desires peace while at the same time it carries out practices that shake the very foundation of the peace process and destroy opportunities for peace.”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source
“It has continued to confiscate Palestinian land and to build the illegal, racist separation wall. It is also continuing a policy of extrajudicial killing, and arbitrary arrests and has destroyed Palestinian infrastructure and property. In addition to other collective punishment measures that it has taken, Israel has detained more than 10,000 Palestinians in its prisons. Israel has closed roads and crossing points; it has set up hundreds of barricades and checkpoints. All this has dismembered Palestinian territory and isolated East Jerusalem from the rest of Palestine.”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source
“Any national Palestinian crisis or issues that arise in the occupied Palestinian territories are an internal matter, and thus the PLO, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, has always been, and will remain, ready and capable of undertaking negotiations on the final status, without any preconditions, at the earliest time possible. With regard to our Israeli counterparts, Israel should abstain from using pretexts and false excuses for not meeting deadlines on negotiations and achieving peace. Israel should acknowledge the difficulties that have arisen and that have undermined any serious peace talks in the past. Israel, the occupying Power, has continued to carry out its unbridled campaigns of illegal colonial settlement, including in East Jerusalem.”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source
“We underscore the importance of the proposal to send an international monitoring force to the region to consolidate the general calm and the ceasefire so that a general and mutual ceasefire can be observed. That international force could be placed between the Israeli and Palestinian parties. At its last meeting, the PLO Executive Committee reaffirmed that the PLO is the sole address and legal representative of the Palestinian people. It is the sole forum responsible for negotiations. In fact, negotiations will always be undertaken by the PLO.”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source
“The Executive Committee believes that there are very promising opportunities on the horizon that must be seized in order that the peace process may be resumed and practical and specific mechanisms set up to resolve the situation. More than one party has proposed that an international conference be held to resolve the Israeli- Arab question in all its aspects. That would be a sound and appropriate decision and should be given greater thought so as to ensure the success of such a conference. There is no doubt that, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, that initiative, which was also welcomed by Israel, will lead to a resumption of serious negotiations if appropriate mechanisms are found in response to that call for calm.”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source
“We have repeatedly stated that the absence of a solution to the question of Palestine and the continuing occupation of Arab territories by Israel are explosive factors that have continued to fuel the conflict and have led the way to violence of all kinds, terrorism, regional confrontation and international crises. The Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization met last Saturday, 9 December 2006, under the presidency of Mr. Mahmoud Abbas. It welcomed all international efforts and initiatives aimed at resuming the peace process, in particular as concerns the Palestinian-Israeli track, which will be the cornerstone of any solution to the other crises in the region.”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source
“We therefore welcome the European efforts aimed at breaking the 7 impasse and relaunching the peace process through practical and specific mechanisms. We would also underscore the promising nature of the Baker-Hamilton report. The report contains recommendations that can be used as a prelude to resuming the political and peace processes. We would also stress the importance of statements made by the Israeli authorities expressing their readiness seriously to consider the Arab Peace Initiative as an appropriate platform for negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis on the one hand and, on the other, other Arab parties whose territory has been occupied by Israel since 1967.”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source
“Yet the main problem remains the lack of political will on the part of the international community and the absence of any serious and tangible measures and actions, which are essential for the effective implementation of those resolutions and initiatives through practical and specific mechanisms. Given the longstanding paralysis of the peace process, the Arab Foreign Ministers met in the Security Council last September in an attempt to break the impasse and to revitalize the peace process. In the wake of the war in Gaza and in Lebanon last summer, and following the deterioration of the situation in more than one area of the Middle East, which further endangered international peace and security, we insisted that action be taken in tandem with the Arab response, in particular by Europe.”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source
“This meeting is an extension of the ministerial meeting of the Security Council held on 21 September 2006 on the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East. We have great faith in the Council's role of promoting international relations, safeguarding peace and security and promoting international law. The components of peace in the Middle East are quite clear and precise and are reflected in the relevant Security Council resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative adopted by the Arab Summit at Beirut in 2002, the Road Map set out by the Quartet and endorsed by this body, and the principle of land for peace.”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source
“We wish him much happiness and success in his new life, after 31 December. Allow me at the outset, Sir, to extend to you our warm congratulations on your country's accession to the presidency of the Security Council for this month. We are fully confident that under your presidency, thanks to your skills and your wisdom, the work of the Council will be carried out successfully. I wish also to pay tribute to the Ambassador of Peru, who showed great wisdom in conducting the work of the Council last month. I should like also to express our warmest thanks to the delegation of Qatar for its excellent initiative to convene this important ministerial-level meeting on the question of sustainable peace in the Middle East.”
2006-12-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5584 (2006) · source