The State of Qatar has renewed its firm position of supporting efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue and achieve peace in the Middle East, stressing that the success of any initiative in finding a solution has to be based on international law, United Nations resolutions, the principle of land for peace and the Arab Peace Initiative. It also stressed that such a resolution must come through negotiation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.
This came in the statement of the State of Qatar made by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed Al-Thani in the United Nations General Assembly session on Palestine.
Qatar’s statement stressed that the solution must be a two-state solution, which involves the establishment of a viable Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Al Quds as its capital. He explained that this requires an end to the Israeli occupation of the occupied Arab territories, including the Syrian Golan and the occupied Lebanese territories, and an immediate and complete cessation of settlement activities and attempts to annex the Palestinian territories, and to respect the status quo in Al Haram Al Shareef as well as other Islamic and Christian holy sites, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque.
In its statement, the State of Qatar reiterated its support for the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, expressing its cooperation with the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. It also affirmed that it will continue to provide humanitarian support for the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territory. In this regard, the statement highlighted the cash assistance program to provide assistance to about 100,000 needy families in the Gaza Strip, which is under a suffocating siege, by benefiting from a grant from the State of Qatar in the amount of $40 million. The statement also highlighted the $500 million grant from HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to rebuild Gaza, saying that the Qatari contribution helped create jobs, provide education, electricity, and enhance the infrastructure in Gaza.
The statement of the State of Qatar also stressed the importance of the role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in providing education, treatment and food to millions of Palestinian refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory and in the countries hosting Palestinian refugees. The State of Qatar commended the tireless efforts made by the agency to advance its responsibility while continuing to improve performance. The statement reiterated the State of Qatar’s continuation of its tangible contributions to the agency’s budget, which needs continuous support.
In its statement, the State of Qatar warned against the Israeli violations witnessed this year in occupied East Al Quds as part of policies aimed at Judaizing and expanding settlements, and against the military escalation that caused hundreds of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip, including children, and exacerbated the humanitarian situation. The statement added that the multifaceted impact of the Israeli occupation and the strict measures it has been implementing since 2000 in particular have led to a rise in unemployment and poverty. The State of Qatar stressed that the only way to stop the impact of the occupation is by ending it.
At the conclusion of the statement, the State of Qatar reiterated its solidarity with the Palestinian people in their continuous quest to obtain their legitimate and inalienable rights.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar