NEW YORK: A just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East must begin with ending the Israeli occupation and granting the Palestinian people their full rights, said Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya. Delivering a speech to the high-level international conference on the two-state solution, held at the UN headquarters in New York on July 28-29, Al-Yahya said that the continued silence over crimes committed in the Gaza Strip reflected complicity with the perpetrators against the victims.
He told the conference, which also aimed at peacefully resolving the Palestinian issue, that the situation in the Palestinian territories was disastrous, especially in the Gaza Strip where the Israeli occupation’s ruthless military campaign had left thousands dead and destroyed vital infrastructure such as hospitals, refugee camps, and water resource facilities. He warned that the ongoing siege of Gaza and the cutting of food, medicine, power, and water supplies threatened the lives of more than two million people, mostly innocent civilians, saying that the situation had surpassed catastrophe and spelled a serious challenge to human consciences and international laws.
The international community must not allow for military arrogance or the disregard to international and humanitarian law, he stressed, warning that without active global intervention, the situation could spiral out of control. The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister relayed his country’s unwavering stance on the Palestinian cause, stating that an independent State of Palestine must be recognized within the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. He commended numerous countries’ steps to recognize the Palestinian state, calling on others to follow to achieve just peace. The aggression against the Gaza Strip must end, he reiterated, insisting that the criminal targeting of civilians and vital infrastructure must not continue.
Al-Yahya said that all crossings must be reopened to allow the entry of vital humanitarian and medical aid, expressing at the same time, categorical rejection of any attempts to alter the demographic structure of Palestine and stressing the importance of implementing UNGA resolution 194 The resolution, which defined principles for reaching a final settlement and returning Palestine refugees to their homes. He urged support to the Palestinian government and national institutions and spreading their jurisdiction over more Palestinian land in order to recognize the independent state.
Minister Al-Yahya called on the international community to protect Palestinian civilians and bring those committing crime before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The Kuwaiti top diplomat also urged international support towards reviving the peace process in the Middle East in accordance with international legitimacy and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and refuting all measures against the two-state solution. – KUNA
