Depriving the Palestinian people of their rights is a betrayal of humanitarian principles

On the Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, declared by the United Nations on November 29, 1977, as a result of the displacement and persecution of the Palestinians, as this date coincides with the partition resolution of 1947, this day is an opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the fact that the Palestine issue has not yet been resolved, and that the Palestinian people have not yet obtained their inalienable rights as defined by the General Assembly, namely the right to self-determination without external interference, the right to national independence and sovereignty, and the right of the Palestinians to return to their homes and properties from which they were displaced.

While the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People has called on the international community to take decisive action to end the Israeli occupation, ensure accountability for perpetrators of violations, achieve justice for victims, and support the long-awaited rights of the Palestinian people, this occasion of solidarity with our people comes under tragic circumstances imposed by the Israeli occupation as a result of its ongoing and blatant aggression on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

In reference to the intervention of the Chairman of the Committee, Ambassador Cheikh Niang, Permanent Representative of Senegal to the United Nations, “the continued persecution of the Palestinian people and the continuation of their humanitarian catastrophe are violations that we have not witnessed the likes of since World War II.

Niang put his finger on the wound when he addressed the overall challenges facing the Palestinian people, including settler attacks that lead to a high number of casualties and the forced displacement of entire Palestinian communities.

He added: “Inhumane speeches and calls for genocide or obliteration of dignity, identity or the right to exist as a nation are not only a stain on their perpetrators, but a stain on our humanity.”

The international system has failed to act decisively in the face of such gross violations of international law, particularly the Security Council’s inability to fulfil its duties under the UN Charter and implement its legally binding resolutions, which has exacerbated this conflict and deepened the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Achieving justice for the Palestinian people is a strategic issue that requires effective actions and movements on the ground. Here comes the responsibility of the international system to have its decisive say, by stopping the aggression against the Palestinian people everywhere and ending the illegal occupation of Palestinian land.

Ignoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people over the past seventy-six years, supporting Israel as if it were a state above the law and providing it with protection to escape punishment for the crimes it commits against the Palestinian people, today encourages it to continue to defy international will and legitimacy, and to persist in its aggression. What is required in order to maintain stability and peace is the implementation of international UN resolutions that grant our people their just and legitimate rights.

On the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, we reaffirm that the Palestinian cause has become the greatest intractable challenge facing the international community, which must commit to supporting the rights of our people towards establishing their independent state, which will inevitably provide peace, justice, security and dignity for our people. However, Israel continues its violations, attacks and horrific massacres in Gaza, responding to the resolutions of international legitimacy with a sinful and blatant aggression that is the most violent and largest against a defenseless civilian people in history.