Mr. President,
Once again we are summoned by the commitment of solidarity and unequivocal support for the just cause of the Palestinian people, whose tireless struggle and long resistance are memorable.
Today we do not come to commemorate or pay tribute. The "International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People" is just a moment of remembrance and at the same time of continuous solidarity and claim, which we should keep in mind the remaining 364 days of each year, until the cruel and prolonged injustice suffered by the Palestinian people ceases.
In the United Nations´ history, there have been hundreds of reports and resolutions condemning, in various instances, the systematic violations of international law and human rights committed against the Palestinian people and the occupied Arab territories, which continue to be disregarded by Israel, the occupying power.
At the base of this long conflict, since the partition of Palestine, there is the military occupation and the colonial policy of expansion of illegal settlements, which humiliate the Palestinian people, and ignore their legitimate right to self-determination and the establishment of a free and sovereign State.
Mr. President,
The situation in the Middle East remains particularly complex and volatile.
Israel continuously, deliberately and systematically violates the norms of International Humanitarian Law, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention, while continuing with its unacceptable policies of illegal expansion of settlements, demolition or seizure of Palestinian property and land, construction of the separation wall, and expansion of controls and barriers, which seek to establish a system of territorial segregation that deprives the Palestinian population of its most essential human rights.
The blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip is a collective punishment whose consequences are irremediably felt by the Arab and Palestinian population, which is immersed in a serious humanitarian crisis. The rebellion and protests this unacceptable situation provokes are violently repressed escalating the conflict that the occupying power tries to extinguish with the noise of weapons and tear gas.
En este contexto, Cuba reitera su profunda preocupación y rechazo por la decisión unilateral del Gobierno de los Estados Unidos de reconocer a Jerusalén como capital de Israel, que constituye una grave y flagrante violación de la Carta de las Naciones Unidas y del Derecho Internacional, al tiempo que busca modificar el estatuto histórico de Jerusalén e impedir cualquier esfuerzo encaminado a reanudar las conversaciones de paz entre israelíes y palestinos.
In this context, Cuba reiterates its deep concern and rejection of the unilateral decision of the Government of the United States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which constitutes a serious and flagrant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and International Law, while seeking to change the historical status of Jerusalem and to prevent any effort aimed at resuming peace talks between Israeli and Palestinians.
Mr. President,
On behalf of Cuba, we express to the Palestinian Government and people our permanent solidarity and reiterate our invariable position of support for a comprehensive, fair and lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, on the basis of two States, that would allow Palestinians the right to self-determination and the right to an independent and sovereign State, with its capital in East Jerusalem and on the basis of the pre-1967 borders.
People resist and fight. They do not lose hope or illusions to build a better world. The Arab and Palestinian people will always count on the unwavering solidarity of the Cuban people in their struggle.
I thank you so much.
(Embacuba Austria)