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New York, July 23: On Thursday, the UAE Mission to UN took part in an open debate held at the United Nations Security Council in New York to discuss the situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian question. The meeting was chaired Murray McCully, the Foreign Minister of New Zealand which assumed the Council’s presidency for the month of July.
 
New York, July 23: On Thursday, the UAE Mission to UN took part in an open debate held at the United Nations Security Council in New York to discuss the situation in the Middle East including the Palestinian question.
The meeting was chaired by Murray McCully, the Foreign Minister of New Zealand which assumed the Council’s presidency for the month of July.Nickolay E.Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the PLO and the Palestinian Authority Nickolay Mladenov briefed the representatives of countries at the meeting on the latest developments and challenges surrounding the region.
 
Mr. Saud Al Shamsi, the Charge de Affairs at the UAE Mission to UN, delivered the Arab Group’s statement which highlighted the worsening humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people resulting from the illegal practices and actions of Israel.
 
The statement underlined that despite all the international and regional efforts made during the past two decades, opportunities for achieving peace continue to be lost. It noted that such failure has contributed to prolonging the suffering of the Palestinian people and led to the emergence of extremism, which now is threatening our region and the entire world.
 
Furthermore, the statement strongly condemned the continued illegal policies and systematic violations committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the expansion of its illegitimate settlements within Al-Quds. It also underlined the Israeli confiscation of the Palestinian lands and properties, citing the arbitrary evict of 7000 Palestinian Bedouins and shepherds from 64 residential areas in the West Bank.
 
 Condemning Israel-imposed siege on Gaza, the statement further pointed out that hundreds of Palestinians were killed while thousands were injured or handicapped because of last year’s Israeli war that targeted Gaza. The statement said the war caused deliberate destruction of the city’s infrastructure and facilities including those ran by the United Nations.    
 
The statement urged the Security Council to play a leading role and take the necessary steps towards immediate cessation of all violations committed by Israel in order to create an appropriate environment for resuming peace negotiations.
“In this context, we hope that the international powers will support the efforts made by the Arab Ministerial Committee on Ending Occupation, to ensure launching serious negotiations”, it said.
 
It also called on the Security Council to respond to the initiatives launched by the Arab Group since last year for adopting an effective resolution that rescues the peace process, and determines the basic terms of reference and principles of negotiations based on the two-state solution, in accordance with the relevant security council resolutions, the Madrid principles and the Arab peace initiative.
Speaking on the role of the international community, the statement urged the donors to implement their commitment, which they announced in Cairo last year to facilitate the reconstruction process in Gaza.
 
The statement emphasized the Arab Group’s full support to the Palestinian National Unity government and urged the state members support its national reconciliation effort and in order to enable it to restore its full control over Gaza and its border entries. Within the same context, the statement urged the Security Council to back the effort of the Arab Ministerial Committee and its call to adopt a resolution that rescue the peace process and allow the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable and internationally recognized Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital. In this regard, it further expressed support for the efforts made by some of the members of the Security Council, particularly by France.
Citing the situation in Syria, the statement renewed the Arab Group’s support for all efforts aimed at reaching a political solution for the Syrian crisis based on achieving a democratic political transition and restoring stability and security to the country. It also urged the international community to increase its assistance to the affected and displaced Syrians who fled the conflict.