Studium

Delegation Of The Palestinian National Authority
Represented By California State University, Chico
By Nathan Davis and Beth Wenbourne

The issues before the Organization of Islamic Conference are: The Role of the Islamic Community in the Protection of Al-Aqsa and the Palestinian People; Promotion of Trade amongst the member-states of the OIC; and Conflict Resolution among the OIC member-states. The Palestinian National Authority (PA), as the ongoing victim of violence and occupation by the Israeli government, is eager to discuss these topics with the hope of moving toward a workable and lasting state of peace and prosperity among Member-States.

I. The Role of the Islamic Community in the Protection of Al-Aqsa and the Palestinian People

Currently, the government of Israel occupies seventy-seven percent of historically Palestinian land. This occupation is in direct violation of S/RES/181 and S/RES/242. S/RES/181 makes reference to establishing, “the future government of Palestine,” and urges “all Governments and all peoples to refrain from taking any action which might hamper or delay the carrying out of these actions.” S/RES/242 also calls for “Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict.” These resolutions, dating back to 1947 and 1967, respectively, not only expressly state the necessity of a sovereign Palestinian state by calling for the removal of Israeli troops from occupied territory, but also show the duration of time this flagrant abuse by an occupying power has morally and politically defied international law and integrity. This prolonged period of occupation and abuse is condemned by the United Nations and the international community in S/RES/1397 and S/RES/1402, which demand for an immediate cessation of all acts of violence, terror, provocation, incitement, and destruction. The current occupation of the Al-Aqsa region is part of one of the most sinister tactics that the present Israeli government engages in. Their determination to seize Islamic holy places is only a small part of Israeli machinations to disintegrate any tangible image of a Palestinian State. These practices are in direct violation of United Nations demands expressly stated in Resolution 1/29-PAL, adopted by the 29th Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, Operative 11, wherein it calls for the world to recognize the State of Palestine with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. These practices also are in direct violation of OIC Resolution 2/25-P which condemns all illegal Israeli measures carried out by Israeli occupation authorities in Al-Quds Al-Sharif. This resolution “reaffirms that a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved without an Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Palestinian and Arab territories foremost of which is Al Quds Al-Sharif.” Furthermore, Resolution 5/29-PAL reaffirms the inalienable national rights, including the right to return, self-determination, and the establishment of a Palestinian independent state on Palestinian national territory with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. It is the belief of this delegation, along with the belief of the Arabic community, that this holy region belongs only to the people of Palestine and that, as such, should be cleared of all Israeli occupation immediately. In addition to the political and moral violations Israeli occupation inflicts upon the Palestinian people, grave humanitarian crises arise due to the Israeli government’s non-compliance with United Nations resolutions. This delegation commends the efforts of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), however, due to Israel’s refusal to respect the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, laid out in the preamble of the Charter of the United Nations, “the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small,” their relief work has been seriously hindered, and, in many instances, completely prohibited. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 2, provides for all people, without distinction, “the rights and freedoms set forth in this declaration, without distinction of any kind.” Any further procurement of a peaceful and sustainable future still remains elusive. A/RES/2535 calls international attention to the repeated acts of collective punishment and destruction of homes and property inflicted on the Palestinian people by the Israeli government, while reaffirming the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. A/RES/56/59 states that the international community deplores those policies and practices of Israel which violate the human rights of the Palestinian people, and calls for the investigation of the treatment of prisoners in the occupied Palestinian territory. Furthermore, A/RES/55/133 calls upon Israel to release all remaining Palestinians arbitrarily detained or imprisoned. It is the belief of this delegation that the repeated abuses by the Israeli government upon Palestinian people is a direct violation of the international agreement entered into by Israel in the Fourth Geneva Convention. A/RES/55/131 reaffirms that the Geneva Convention is applicable to the occupied Palestinian territory, and in addition, demands that Israel accept the applicability of the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and that it comply forthwith with the provisions of the convention. A/RES/55/131 also calls upon the states party to the Convention to exert all efforts in order to ensure compliance by Israel of provisions of the convention. It is the belief of this delegation that Israel’s prolonged systematic campaign of occupation and terror prohibits the realization of A/RES/56/142, which expresses hope that the people of Palestine will soon be exercising their right to self-determination granted by Allah. A/RES/2535 requests the Security Council take effective measures to secure provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the UDHR, and to ensure the implementation of United Nations S/RES/242, S/RES/338, and all other applicable resolutions aimed to secure a peaceful negotiation between Palestine and Israel.

While this delegation recognizes the need for member-states of the OIC to begin moving towards mutually prosperous trading practices, it is the belief of this delegation that this kind of cooperation between states can only be achieved after a strong and lasting peace is settled within the Middle East, particularly with regard to the question of Palestine. The Palestinian National Authority calls attention to OIC Resolution 33/25-E (1) which “emphasizes the importance of implementation of the Strategy and Plan of Action of COMCEC; Agreement on Promotion, Protection and Guarantee of Investments among Member-States; General Agreement on Economic, Technical and Commercial Cooperation among Member-States; Framework Agreement on the Establishment of the Trade Preferential System among Member-States; and Agreement on Islamic Corporation for Insurance of Investment and Export Credit, for strengthening economic and commercial cooperation among member-states for realization of the ultimate objective of establishment of an Islamic common market.” Our delegation recognizes that trafficking and consumption of illicit drugs; environmental sustainability; energy sources including water, oil, and solar power; and conventional and nuclear weapons of mass destruction must be considered priorities among the many important international and regional challenges. The PA stresses the need for developing countries, within the OIC and Group of 77, to cooperate in partnership to insure environmental, economic, and humanitarian priorities are met and incorporated into international trade development and agreements. The Palestinian Authority fully supports the Group of 77 Tehran Consensus-South-South Cooperation: A Common Imperative and urgently calls for the “consolidating of a South-South platform, the building stronger South institutions at the global level, bridging the knowledge and information gap, the building of broad-based partnerships, and mobilizing global support for South-South cooperation.” Currently, the people of Palestine are subjected to an illegal occupation by the Israeli government, leaving the Palestinian people with little ability to contribute to a regional or globalized market. E/RES/1998/32 clearly states that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory are illegal and an obstacle to economic and social development. We call attention to OIC Resolution 9/27-E, which urges OIC member-states to undertake the execution of the economic, industrial, agricultural, and housing programs in the territories of the PA to strengthen the Palestinian economy. The Millennium Declaration, Article 1, Point (6), states, “no individual and no nation must be denied the opportunity to benefit from development.” Furthermore, E/RES/1994/29 calls upon “the donor community to expedite the delivery of pledged assistance to the Palestinian people to meet their urgent needs.” Additionally, the Israeli occupation has contributed to the depletion of Palestinian natural resources which is in direct violation of A/RES/56/204, which expresses concern at the exploitation by Israel of the natural resources of the occupied Palestinian territory, and calls upon Israel not to exploit, to cause loss or depletion of, or to endanger the natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territory. A/RES/56/204 also recognizes the right of the Palestinian people to claim restitution as a result of any aforementioned exploitation. Furthermore, as a result of the prolonged and oppressive Israeli policies of road closures and military imposed curfews within the occupied territories, the people of Palestine are unable to move freely among lands or to transport goods, further restricting their ability to participate in any kind of trade, regional, global, or even sustainable. These restrictions by the Israeli government upon the people of Palestine are a flagrant abuse of A/RES/56/56, wherein the United Nations calls upon Israel to cease its policies of closure and of placing restrictions on the movement of persons and goods, which have had a grave and inhumane impact on the socio-economic condition of the Palestinian population. This delegation calls further attention to E/RES/1993/78, which “calls for the immediate lifting of Israeli restrictions and obstacles hindering the implementation of assistance projects by the UN.” Furthermore, the practice restricting the movement of the people of Palestine by the Israeli government is in direct violation of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of Section 1, Article (13), which states that, “everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.” Recognizing the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development, this delegation condemns the current and ongoing occupation of Palestine, which violates Point D of Article 4 which states that the UN will “ensure the protection and full integration into the economy and society of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups and persons.” Therefore, it is the position of this delegation that, in the efforts to promote trade and development within OIC Member-States, the people of Palestine have little hope of assisting in globalized or regional trade, until the government of Israel begins to work towards a peaceful agreement and ends its occupation of the Palestinian territory.

In the history of conflict in the Middle East, none has been as pronounced or tragic as that conflict between the Israeli and Palestinian people. The Palestinian Authority fully supports the principals and objectives outlined in Chapter 2 of the OIC Charter and calls particular attention to the “endeavor to eliminate racial segregation, discrimination and to eradicate colonialism in all its forms.” Our delegation recognizes that the United Nations must take a more active role in peacekeeping operations, and calls on the Security Council to enforce S/RES/242, S/RES/338, S/RES/1403, S/RES/1435, and all relevant resolutions through international peace-keeping. The Palestinian Authority considers the primary objective for solving the conflict in Palestine to be regional and international cooperation to facilitate safe humanitarian assistance and protection. We call on the Security Council to enforce the framework for peace laid out by the quartet (Russia, U.S.A., E.U., and the U.N.). Continued Israeli non-compliance and a continued state of occupation and violence will continue unless the international community takes action to enforce it’s resolutions with regard to this matter. It is the position of this delegation that Israel’s current occupation and resistance to negotiation is in direct violation of Article XV of the Declaration and Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements which states that disputes shall be resolved by negotiations through the Joint Liaison Committee in the interim before peace is achieved. Also, by continuing to evade negotiations, Israel violates OIC Resolution 6/25-P, which “strongly denounces the Israeli government’s policy and practices which are hostile to peace and are designed to undermine the peace process.” Therefore, while the people of Palestine recognize the concern that the OIC places on other areas of conflict within OIC regional territory, this delegation emphasizes the need to take immediate and effective action against Israel. It is the belief of this delegation that by resolving the prolonged and violent conflict between the people of Palestine and the Israeli government, the OIC member-states will provide a framework for future conflict resolution. Fearing that, as stated in OIC Resolution 1/29-PAL, Operative Clause 8, the international community and the United Nations, particularly the United States, the Russian Federation, and the European Union will not intervene so to end the Israeli aggression, which is undermining and sabotaging the very foundations of the peace process, we recognize the necessity of establishing an Arab peacekeeping body. Additionally, OIC Resolution 1/25-P holds Israel responsible for halting the Middle East peace process and “calls on Member-States to further strengthen their solidarity with the Palestinian people, and continue to support their just and legitimate struggle for ending Israeli occupation.” It is clear to this delegation that OIC member-states support the Palestinian struggle for independence; therefore this delegation calls upon member-states to take part in active political policies condemning the Israeli government. In the Final Communiqué of the 9th Summit, the Member-States expressed resolve to protect and enhance Islamic values, especially values concerning solidarity and mutual respect, and also stressed the need for coordination to control the phenomenon of terrorism in all its shapes.