Qatar reiterated its support for international efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East and resolve the Palestinian issue on the basis of agreed references, resolutions of international legitimacy, the Arab peace initiative and the principle of two States - Israel and Palestine - on the basis of the 1967 borders.
It called for an end to the Israeli occupation of the Arab territories, including the Syrian Golan, stressing the need to ensure the rights of the Palestinian people and a just solution to the refugee problem in accordance with General Assembly Resolution 194.
This came in a statement delivered by HE ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani, the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations, at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly on the "Question of Palestine" item.
Sheikha Alya noted that in the midst of the serious crises affecting the Middle East, the Palestinian question remains the central and oldest among issues considered by the UN General Assembly.
This year marks the passage of seven decades after the Palestinian Nakba, which is followed by tragic consequences which continue to be inflicted on the Palestinian people.
She added that over the course of these seven decades, the international community has totally rejected the Israeli occupation, illegal settlement, violations of international law and Palestinian rights, and has expressed its full solidarity with the Palestinian people in their quest for their inalienable rights.
Sheikha Alya appealed to the international community to shoulder its responsibilities ons this issue until a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement is achieved, which would have a positive impact on the state of regional and international peace and security.
Ambassador Sheikha Alya also referred to the numerous resolutions adopted annually by the UN General Assembly on the question of Palestine and the Middle East, stressing that they represented a long-standing international consensus on various aspects of this issue.
She stressed that this consensus underscored the need to abide by the principles of international law and the purposes enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, and called for the complete cessation of all Israeli settlement activities and unilateral actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, which are contrary to international law, as well as the cessation of actions aimed to alter the character, legal status and demographic composition of Jerusalem.
On the Gaza Strip, Sheikha Alya said the situation in the Gaza Strip is a cause for concern as the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip continues to worsen as a result of the ongoing siege that enters its 11th year.
In this context, Sheikha Alya reiterated Qatar's firm commitment to providing humanitarian support, pointing out that His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has provided $150mn in emergency aid to tackle the difficult situation in the Gaza Strip and to secure the fuel needed to generate electricity.
She said that these efforts came within the framework of Qatar's efforts to play a positive role in the interest of stability that is necessary for achieving peace.
In this context, she drew attention to the State of Qatar's material support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees which included its contribution of $50mn this year that enabled the agency to open its schools without delay.
Concluding her statement, Sheikha Alya expressed Qatar's full solidarity with the Palestinian brothers on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
She also reaffirmed that Qatar would continue its commitment to support Palestinian people's legitimate rights, to advance efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East based on international references, settlement of disputes through peaceful means and putting an end to all crises affecting the people of the region.
