United Arab Emirates calls for intensified efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The United Arab Emirates called for intensified efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, stressing its commitment to work with regional and international partners to find a solution to the Palestinian question that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. In a statement delivered by Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations, at the plenary session of the General Assembly on the question of Palestine, she said:
"The Middle East suffers from many conflicts and crises that have exhausted its people. With the eruption of Covid 19, the existing challenges are being exacerbated and it is a priority for the international community to seek permanent solutions to these problems by rethinking previous approaches and implementing new measures to bring peace and stability to the region". Nusseibeh recalled the message of solidarity that Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, sent to the United Nations on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which stated: "The Government and people of the UAE reiterate their long-standing and permanent commitment to support the brotherly Palestinian people in achieving all their legitimate rights in accordance with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions".
Coinciding with the celebration of the 49th UAE National Day, the Emirati diplomat stressed that the Palestinian question has been a foreign policy priority since the founding of the United Arab Emirates. She reaffirmed that the United Arab Emirates will not abandon its firm position, which is in keeping with the Arab position, in support of the creation of an independent Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. He also stressed that this was in line with internationally agreed parameters and the Arab Peace Initiative.
To this end, he added that efforts should be made to support efforts to create an environment conducive to peace and the establishment of the two-state solution. Recalling the Abraham Agreements, the product of tireless political and diplomatic negotiations which also helped to freeze the annexation of Palestinian land, Ambassador Nusseibeh said that the treaty would support the positive and effective efforts of the United Arab Emirates to bring peace to the Middle East.
In the same vein, it stressed the need to put an end to illegal practices in the Palestinian territories, including the construction and expansion of settlements, the violation of the inviolability of the holy places of Jerusalem, the demolition of properties and the continuation of the blockade of Gaza. In addition, Ambassador Nusseibeh expressed serious concern about the deteriorating humanitarian, economic and health conditions in the Palestinian territory, particularly in the context of the Covid 19 pandemic. Stressing the need to support vital sectors in Palestine, especially the health sector.
It also renewed the UAE's commitment to assist the Palestinian people, including by supporting UN agencies, and outlined the UAE's financial contributions to date, which have exceeded $840 million from 2013 to 2020. The United Arab Emirates is a major donor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In this vein, the Gulf country, in its capacity as chair of the UNRWA Advisory Committee since July 2020, is seeking to strengthen the work of the Agency, in particular with regard to the digital transformation of education, the empowerment of women and youth, and environmental sustainability.
