The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has held Israel responsible for the escalation of violence in the Palestinian territories, while stressing solidarity and support of the UAE's people and government for the Palestinian people to restore territorial integrity and all its rights, including the establishment of its independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

This came in a statement delivered by the UAE delegation before the two-day special session organised by General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) pertaining to the article on the agenda of the Palestinian Cause, stressing that the continuation of Israel's occupation of land and expanding its illegal settlements fuelled the frustration of the Palestinian people.

The statement shed light on the message of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which falls on 28th November every year.

It also noted that the deliberations of the General Assembly on this article come at a very critical stage for the Palestinian issue, both in terms of the worsening situation on the ground and at the level of continuing stagnation in the political process that is still moving toward a dead end.

The statement also referred to the repeated violations on Al-Aqsa Mosque and Islamic and Christian holy sites by groups of Jewish extremist settlers under the protection of the Israeli military forces.

The statement tackled the violence and chaos that spread in the Palestinian territories over the recent months, particularly in the cities of East Jerusalem and Hebron following a serious escalation by the Israeli government and the settlers, while stressing that Israel has committed the most heinous crimes against the Palestinian people such as killing of civilians, destruction of their homes and mass arbitrary arrests that even included children, as well as building of more settlements outposts and confiscating of lands.

It also referred to the inhumane blockade measures imposed by Israel since 2006 on the Gaza Strip, where the population is suffering from poverty, displacement and destruction on a daily basis.

The statement renewed the UAE's condemnation of these provocative Israeli policies and practices and all other serious and repeated violations in the Palestinian territories and considered them as invalid and illegal, which constituted a material, legal and political breach of the provisions of international law and international humanitarian law, as well as the resolutions of international legitimacy.

It also urged the international community to assume its responsibilities regarding all practices and serious violations committed by Israel aimed at changing the status quo in Jerusalem, calling for sparing no efforts to save the peace process and take measures to halt the Israeli incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque.

In this context, the statement emphasised the importance of the Security Council to discharge its main role including the issuance of a resolution which aims to develop necessary mechanisms and procedures to ensure the safety of civilian Palestinians.

The statement stressed that the UAE will continue its involvement with a series of decisions adopted by the UN General Assembly under this article, stressing that a just, comprehensive and durable solution to the Palestinian issue is the key to ensuring peace and security in the Middle East.

The statement pointed out that this will only be achieved with the effective support of the international community for the rights of the Palestinian people.

The statement also stressed the need for full Israeli withdrawal to the 4th of June 1967 line, including the Holy City of Jerusalem and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, which is in line with the two-state solution, international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions of international legitimacy, the principle of land for peace, and the Road Map as well as the principles of the Madrid and the Arab peace initiative.

Source: AFP