"We have seen many difficulties in the past year. But it has been a crucial time in setting the stage for peace. Two thousand nine must be the year that these preparations bear fruit. Let us all work constructively, tirelessly and consistently for a just, lasting, comprehensive, and urgent settlement of the question of Palestine", the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29 November).
Ban's message was relayed to the crowd who joined together at the UN House in Beirut to mark the Day, by UN-ESCWA Executive Secretary, Bader Omar AlDafa, before he delivered the statement of UN-ESCWA. The ceremony, which was held under the auspices of the President of the Lebanese Republic, General Michel Suleiman, also witnessed statements by Mr. Abbas Zaki Representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Ambassador of Palestine to Lebanon and Minister of State Khaled Kabbani, representing President Suleiman.
In his address, AlDafa underlined the necessity to implement international resolutions that guarantee a decent life for Palestinians. "Our wish on this day is that a day will come when we do not stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people, or any other people that suffers from occupation and oppression, but when we stand in celebration of a world that lives in peace and stability. Although it might seem far, this day is not impossible, for it is the hope of humanity", he said. AlDafa added that over the UN General Assembly and Security Council have issued over 300 resolutions on Palestine, which guarantee the right of Palestinians to return to their land, or receive compensation for it, and call on Israelis to withdraw from the territories they occupied in 1967 and others. "In reality, we are not only facing a cause that has been without a solution for over 60 years, but a tragedy that gets bigger by the day", he added. He also noted that UN-ESCWA prepares an annual report to the Secretary-General on the repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the daily life of the Palestinian people. Thus, it observes the continuing deterioration of the Palestinian living conditions and the continuous violations to their human, civil, political, economic and social rights.
For his part, Zaki considered that "solidarity with the Palestinian people today equals giving support to the choice of peace by the Palestinian leadership, so our people enjoys freedom, independence, and the establishment of a State with East Jerusalem for capital". Highlighting General Assembly Resolution 181, which provided for the establishment in Palestine of a "Jewish State" and an "Arab State" with Jerusalem as a corpus separatum, Zaki said that only one State, Israel, has come to be, while the Palestinian people suffers from occupation. "The Lebanese national interest requires that the situation of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon changes" Zaki was quoted as saying. "On the solidarity day, it is imperative that priority be given to the victims of terrorism in Nahr El-Bared refugee camp and its surroundings to ensure a decent living (for refugees), and speed up the rebuilding of the camp," he added.
Meanwhile, Minister Kabbani said that the Palestinian cause is still a major concern for the UN and an inseparable part of the Lebanese modern history. Lebanon reiterates calls, along with other Arab countries, for providing Palestinians with the right of return to their homeland. "From the UN House in Beirut, we reassert that peace should be fair to be permanent," Kabbani said.
The ceremony was attended by UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Michael Williams, UN Resident Coordinator and UN Development Group (UNDP) Resident Representative, Marta Ruedas, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, William Habib, Ambassadors of UN-ESCWA member countries, and a quorum of official, diplomatic, economic, cultural, and media figures.
Following the ceremony, a three-fold cultural exhibition was inaugurated that included paintings by Palestinian children in Lebanon, and photographs taken by them (Lahza) in the refugee camps. In addition, Palestinian Non-Governmental-Organizations (NGOs) held a handicrafts bazaar.
UN-ESCWA distributed during the event a publication entitled "One More Year" on the situation of Palestinians inside and outside Palestine, while four TV spots, which were broadcast on Lebanese television stations, served as intermissions between the four statements. The General Assembly designated 29 November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in its resolution 32/40 B of 2 December 1977. This Day provides an opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the fact that the question of Palestine is still unresolved.
