Solidarity with Palestinian people being observed today

NEW YORK: The UN is observing its International Day of Solidarity today with the Palestinian People while Israel and the West Bank are still plagued by unrest.

In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly called for the annual observance of 29th November as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

In the message on the day, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres said only constructive negotiations between the parties in good faith will bring about a durable solution of two states.

READ MORE: Russia accuses US for annexation of Palestine

The UN is observing its International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People while Israel and the West Bank are still plagued by unrest.

The UN called for the annual observance of November 29 as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People back in 1977.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community.

It considers the entire city of Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians see the eastern sector as the capital of their future state.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres insisted on a two-state solution during his remarks on the day.

“Only constructive negotiations, in good faith, and adhering to the long-established and agreed parameters for a two-State solution, will bring the desired, long-lasting solution.”

READ ALSO: Pro-Palestine stance strips off Shamsie from her literary award

Guterres urged the leadership of both sides to “restore faith in the promise of Resolution 181.”

“I call on all actors, and first and foremost the leadership of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, to take bold steps and restore faith in the promise of Resolution 181, of two states living side-by-side in peace and security,” he said

He said Israeli settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian territories have no legal validity.

The UN Secretary General said the intensification of illegal settlements, demolition of Palestinians’ homes and the pervasive sufferings in Gaza must stop.

After World War II, in 1947, the United Nations adopted a Partition Plan for Mandatory Palestine recommending the creation of independent Arab and Jewish states and an internationalized Jerusalem.

The State of Palestine is recognized by 137 UN members and since 2012 has a status of a non-member observer state in the United Nations – which implies recognition of statehood. 

It is a member of the Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, G77, and the International Olympic Committee and other international bodies.