UN committee marks Palestine solidarity day, laments failure of 2-state vision

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - The UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People held a special meeting Tuesday in New York to observe the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people.

The event commemorated a 1947 UN resolution that envisioned two states living side by side in peace and security, a goal committee chair Coly Seck lamented has resulted in neither "peace nor security" 78 years later.

Seck said Palestinians continue to face "historic injustice," stressing the UN's "outstanding responsibility" to justly resolve the question of Palestine.

He urged the international community to take decisive action to recognize the state of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock noted the resolution laid the foundation for the two-state solution, but while Israel is a recognized member, Palestine is not, asserting that statehood "is a right to be upheld."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a message delivered by Chef de Cabinet​​​​​​​ Earle Courtenay Rattray, acknowledged the "unspeakable hardship" faced by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including escalating settler violence and praised the efforts of mediators. principally Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the US, in achieving the recent ceasefire.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in a message read by Palestine's permanent UN representative Riyad Mansour, affirmed that the Gaza Strip is an integral part of Palestine.

He thanked several nations, including France, the UK and Australia, for recognizing Palestine in recent months, while appreciating the mediation efforts that achieved a recent ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.

Security Council President Michael Imran Kanu could not deliver a usual statement due to a lack of consensus within the group -- the first time it has occurred during the annual special meeting, said Seck.

Since October 2023, the Israeli army has killed nearly 70,000 victims in Gaza, mostly women and children, and injured more than 170,900 in a two-year war that has left much of the enclave in ruins.

A ceasefire took effect Oct. 10, which includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas.

Israel, however, has continued its attacks and killed at least 342 Palestinians and injured 900 since the ceasefire began.