Mr. President,
We endorse the statement delivered by Azerbaijan on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement and Senegal, in its capacity as Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.
Cuba maintains its historic and unchanging position in defense and solidarity with the just cause of the Palestinian people.
The most recent report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, states that "Israel practices apartheid in the occupied Palestinian territories".
We note with deep concern the increasing tensions and human rights violations in these territories, including East Jerusalem. Violence, arrest, imprisonment and killings of Palestinian civilians, including children, continue.
Israel's annexation policy is toughening and its illegal colonization practices are increasing. Homes and properties continue to be destroyed and more Palestinian families are forcibly displaced, while the construction and expansion of Israeli settlements persist.
The blockade of the Gaza Strip and annexation plans of Palestinian territories in the Jordan Valley and other parts of the West Bank and East Jerusalem continue.
Despite the historic demands of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other international actors, the Security Council remains without taking any action to end the Israeli military aggression and occupation of the Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
There is no justification for continuing to prevent the Palestinian people from exercising their right to self-determination and to build an independent and sovereign State within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and where the right of return of refugees is also guaranteed.
The United States, which has repeatedly obstructed the action of the Security Council and prevented this body from fulfilling its responsibility under the UN Charter for the maintenance of international peace and security, continues to thwart a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while guaranteeing Israel's impunity.
Other unilateral and unwarranted decisions by the U.S. government, which have not been reversed by the current administration, further undermine the possibility of a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, continue to severely violate the legitimate interests of Arab nations, and keep the danger of escalation in the region latent.
We condemn the unilateral decisions of the United States government to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to establish its diplomatic representation in that city, disrespecting its historical status, as well as to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Syrian Golan, which constitute serious violations of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the relevant Security Council resolutions.
We reiterate our rejection of the so-called "Deal of the Century", which ignores the two-state solution and threatens the future of the State of Palestine, within the pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.
We demand an immediate and unconditional end to the arbitrary and illegal unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States against sovereign nations in the Middle East.
Mr. President,
We reiterate our demand for the total and unconditional withdrawal of Israel from the Syrian Golan and all occupied Arab territories.
We call for the cessation of external interference in Syria and full respect for its sovereignty and territorial integrity, while championing the search for a peaceful and negotiated solution to the situation imposed on that sister Arab nation.
We ratify our endorsement to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and our support for the inalienable right of States to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. We reaffirm our rejection of the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Agreement and the reimposition of unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, contrary to international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
We reaffirm our unrestricted support for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
We will continue to strongly support the admission of the State of Palestine to full membership in the United Nations. We support the call of its President to hold an international peace conference.
As Commander-in-Chief of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, said at the Sixth Summit Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1979, "No more brutal dispossession of rights to peace and existence of a people has been committed in this century (...) Evicted from their land, ejected from their own fatherland, scattered throughout the world, persecuted and murdered, the heroic Palestinians constitute an impressive example of selflessness and patriotism and are the living symbol of the most brutal crimes of our era". It is unacceptable that this heartbreaking reality has spilled over into the 21st century.
Thank you.