Press Release No. 60

1 December 2008

 

Statement by Mr. Devendra Dwivedi, Member of the Indian delegation, on Agenda Item 16-Question of Palestine at the 63^rd session of the United Nations General Assembly on November 24, 2008

 

Mr. President,

 

Thank you for convening this discussion on the Question of Palestine at the General Assembly today, as we mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people. There can be little doubt that this issue remains of grave concern to the international community. Instability in this ancient and holy land begins with the question of Palestine, and has since impacted upon the wider situation in the Middle East, and thereby upon the entire world. As a nation with historical and cultural relations with all the communities of the Middle East through the millennia, and a strong tradition of support for a just and mutually acceptable solution to the question of Palestine, India has an abiding interest in the early resolution of this long-festering problem. The question of Palestine is a matter over which there is strong support among the people in every section of society, and political parties in India.

 

Mr. President,

Our meeting takes place almost one year after the international conference at Annapolis. We in India shared the sense of anticipation and hope that earnest and result-oriented discussions would commence at the earliest, aimed at finding the just, mutually acceptable and durable solution whose contours are well-known and hardly needs any reiteration. We had also hoped that the process of dialogue would help quickly address the daily litany of violence, blockades, rhetoric and privation.

 

And yet our hopes remain unfulfilled. Settlements continue to expand in the occupied territories in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Road Map. The separation wall continues to be built, in derogation of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, and resolutions of the General Assembly. The division of Palestinian territories endures since the events of June 2007, despite efforts to unify the leadership. Most damagingly, the blockade of Gaza persists. Restrictions on movement and the enduring blockade of Gaza have serious humanitarian consequences in an already-precarious situation. Restrictions on supplies of fuel and electricity in Gaza have only intensified the humanitarian challenge. The announcement late last week of the suspension of humanitarian aid into Gaza, as a result of the resumption of the blockade, is deeply troubling and is cause of grave concern. While we do hear reports of some resumption of access for humanitarian relief, we call for the lifting of this blockade to afford full access to Gaza for the supply of humanitarian aid and essential commodities.

 

The security situation also remains a challenge. Despite efforts to maintain a ceasefire, incidents of indiscriminate violence and retaliation continue to erupt, thus perpetuating the cycle of violence. The rise of incidents of violence by illegal settlers is particularly disturbing as it runs the risk of inflaming further violence in these highly sensitive locations. In this context, India notes with satisfaction the positive progress recorded by the Palestinian Authority in securing several towns in the Palestinian territory.

 

It is important that we retain clarity regarding the fundamentals. India believes that all violence must be eschewed if there is to be a positive atmosphere for any serious dialogue. However, this is not in itself adequate. There also needs to be a serious effort to dismantle the barriers to free movement within the West Bank, and the blockades around Gaza. Apart from facilitating the entry of humanitarian relief, it is also essential that normal supplies of basic facilities such as power and water, and essential commodities, are resumed. Citizens of Gaza also have the right to expect normalized access to medical facilities, like any other people. The construction of new settlements in the occupied territories, and of the separation wall, must stop forthwith.

 

Mr. President,

A sovereign, viable and independent State of Palestine, to which the international community is committed through all relevant resolutions, cannot be created under the current circumstances. Our collective commitment to UNSCRs 242, 338, 1397 and 1515 is devoid of meaning if we do not ensure that all parties to the conflict abide by their commitments under the Roadmap. As the Quartet leads the international community’s efforts to assist the negotiations between Palestinian and Israeli leaders, we urge the Quartet to do much more so that the process is progressed in a manner that helps us achieve the desired outcome at the earliest. India remains in support of a political solution, based on the Road Map and the Arab Peace Initiative, which remain the only widely endorsed frameworks for an agreement.