By Janet Ekstract
UNITED NATIONS (TURKISH JOURNAL) – On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pledged his support for the Palestinians and a two-state solution in his opening remarks at the 2020 Session Of The Committee On The Exercise Of The Inalienable Rights Of The Palestinian People.
The secretary-general made the following statement: “The United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements and realizing the vision of two States – Israel and Palestine – living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines.
Guterres commented that the General Assembly adopted all the resolutions on the Question of Palestine recommended by the Committee, last December – including the one on its mandate.
The UN chief reiterated that the United Nations position on the two-State solution was already defined years ago by the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions which he said the Secretariat is bound by.
Guterres made it clear in his statement that the way forward for the Palestinians is the long ago proposed two-State solution with the decision making involved having full participation of the Palestinians.
He also praised the Committee on its “unwavering dedication” to seeing the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, their self-determination and independence fulfilled.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas will address the UN Security Council on February 11 in response to the Trump administration’s Middle East Plan otherwise known as the “deal of the century,” which has a number of detractors including the EU.
The 57-member body of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) rejected Trump’s plan. The OIC met Monday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in an emergency meeting and made the following statement which said that it: “calls on all member states not to engage with this plan or to cooperate with the U.S. administration in implementing it in any form.”
The EU bashed Trump’s plan which was drawn up by his son-in-law Jared Kushner who has no experience in foreign policy and whose plan is essentially a business deal. The plan gives Israel carte blanche on just about all of its demands while leaving the Palestinians in a precarious position. In fact, the Palestinians were not consulted about the plan.
High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell said the plan “challenges many of the internationally agreed parameters.” Speaking in Jordan, Borrell commented that Amman “plays a very special role” in its efforts to end the conflict and added: “We share the commitment to a two-state solution and respect for international law.”
Russia also came out against the plan, questioning its efficacy as Russian news agencies quoted a Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov who said the plan opposes several UN resolutions. Peskov further explained: “We see the reaction from the Palestinians, we see the reaction of a wide range of Arab states which have sided with the Palestinians in rejecting the plan. This, obviously, makes one think about its feasibility.”
Trump requested the Middle East Peace Plan be drawn up with no input from relevant parties and with no regard for UN resolutions that have always called for a political solution that includes two states living side by side in peace and security. Trump’s plan cancels out the UN resolutions already in place.
Guterres stressed in his statement that the way forward is to adhere to UN resolutions for a two-State solution. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) has urged Israel not to force implementation of the plan. What Abbas is seeking is a draft resolution blocking the plan’s implementation.
In the meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear that Israel is preparing its counter-response to be delivered at the Security Council in a matter of weeks.
