United Nations

  NEW YORK, 12 October (UN Headquarters) -- Following is the text of a statement issued by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on 10 October:

 At its 253rd meeting on 10 October 2000, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People discussed the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem and the outbreak of violence caused by a visit to the holy site of Al-Haram al-Sharif by the leader of Israeli opposition on 28 September 2000, and made the following statement:

 The Committee expresses grave concern at the continued confrontations in the Old City of Jerusalem and throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory.  Almost two weeks of escalating violence and the use of excessive force by the Israeli defence forces left more than 80 Palestinians dead, including over 20 children, and well over 2,000 injured.  The Committee is greatly dismayed by the loss of life as a result of these confrontations.  It is shocked by the tragic deaths of innocent Palestinian children.  The Committee views these violent confrontations as a direct result of the policies and practices of the Israeli occupation and the failure of Israel to respect its obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention and the provisions of relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.

 The Committee firmly believes that Israel’s refusal to abide by norms of international law, as well as the continued lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations will have a destructive effect on the peace process and may endanger prospects for peace in the region.  Aware of the need to salvage the peace process and bring normalcy to the situation on the ground, the Committee reiterates its strong support for the efforts, undertaken in the past several days, by the co-sponsors of the peace process, as well as the United Nations Secretary-General and Presidents of France and Egypt.  The Committee hopes that these steps will contribute to the de-escalation of the violence, lessening of the tensions between the two sides and the early resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue.

 In light of the above, the Committee welcomed the deliberations in the Security Council on agenda item “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question” and the adoption, on 7 October 2000, of resolution 1322 (2000).  As the confrontations on the ground continue and human life remains in considerable jeopardy, the Committee calls for a speedy and full implementation of the aforementioned resolution and for the immediate cessation of all acts of violence.

 The Committee reiterates its position that the United Nations should continue to exercise its permanent responsibility towards all the aspects of the question of Palestine, including the issue of Jerusalem, until it is resolved in a satisfactory manner, in conformity with relevant United Nations resolutions and in accordance with international legitimacy, and until the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people are fully realized.