General Assembly resumes emergency session on Occupied Palestinian Territory
18 October -- The General Assembly this afternoon resumed its emergency special session on illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The session, which had originally convened in April 1997 under the Assembly's "Uniting for peace" resolution, was last suspended in February 1999.
Addressing the meeting, the Permanent Observer of Palestine, Nasser Al-Kidwa, said that during the past three weeks, "the occupying Power has killed more than 90 Palestinian martyrs and injured more than 3,000." Mr. Al-Kidwa sought to contrast the Israeli actions with those of the Palestinians, saying "there was not one single bullet shot by the Palestinian side for the first three days of the bloody Israeli campaign."
The Observer for Palestine said the recent summit at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt represented a serious attempt to rescue the situation which deserved support. "Nevertheless, we must note that there was no signed communiqué issued by the summit and at the same time there were certain ambiguities with regard to the understandings reached," he said. "There is also the constant concern stemming from our previous experiences of Israel's non-compliance with anything agreed upon," he added.
Israel's Ambassador, Yehuda Lancry, expressed hope that "the statement made this week in Sharm El-Sheikh would succeed in restoring calm and quiet to the region." He added, however, that the deliberations of the General Assembly's emergency special session "are contrary to the spirit of that declaration and have the potential to aggravate and disrupt efforts under way to bring an end to the violence."
Mr. Lancry said that the Palestinian Authority "rather than using its position to prevent violence and urge restraint, has allowed its official television and radio to be used for the purposes of incitement, calling on its people to carry out violent attacks on Israeli citizens and soldiers." Only a negotiated solution, arrived at in an atmosphere free from violence, could put a permanent end to the bloodshed and unrest in the Middle East, he said.
The Assembly also heard from the representatives of Senegal and South Africa before the close of today's meeting. The resumed session is set to continue on Friday, with 41 additional speakers planning to participate in the debate.
Also on Friday, in response to a request from Member States, Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to inform the session about his Middle Eastern trip. Mr. Annan will also brief the Security Council.
Earlier today, the General Assembly continued its consideration of the work of the Security Council as part of its current regular session, with representatives of more than 15 countries taking part in the debate. Many of the speakers stressed the need for the Security Council to take a more proactive role in dealing with crises, while others highlighted the importance of openness, participation and efficiency in the Council's work.
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