New York - Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
"The question of Palestine is closely linked to the history and charter of the United Nations. Respect for international law, human rights, the right to self-determination and a peaceful resolution of the conflict forms the basis of our organization. The Palestinians deserve a decent life and their right to self-determination and independence is guaranteed."
This was confirmed by Rose Marie DiCarlo, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Peacebuilding, during a historic event, the first of its kind, held by the United Nations on Monday, in commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Nakba, at the organization's headquarters in New York. And to you, according to Mazangalt, the daily news bulletin issued by the United Nations, and we received a copy of it on Tuesday morning, and it also stated, “This is the first time in the history of the United Nations that this memory is commemorated according to a mandate granted by the General Assembly. The authorization came in a resolution adopted by the Assembly. General Assembly of the United Nations on 30 November 2022.
The resolution requested the Division for Palestinian Rights, in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, to devote its activities “to the celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Nakba including by organizing a high-level event in the General Assembly Hall on 15 May 2023 and by publishing relevant archives and testimonies” .
The event was attended by high-ranking officials, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and representatives of the League of Arab States, the African Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Non-Aligned Movement, member states and civil society organizations.
Opening the session, Sheikh Niang, Chairman of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, said that today's meeting is an occasion to highlight that the noble goals of justice and peace, which the international community has long sought, require recognition of the reality and history of the plight of the Palestinian people and ensuring the realization of their inalienable rights to act.
He said, "The Nakba and the suffering of generations of Palestinians is a story that is rarely taught in history books, and is often absent and forgotten. Today, the resilience of the Palestinians must be recognized throughout their history, especially since 1948."
He reaffirmed that a just and lasting peace will be achieved through a just solution to the Palestinian issue in all its aspects. “And by putting an end to the injustice of the Nakba. And through the two-state solution, which ends the Israeli occupation that began in 1967, and achieves the long-awaited right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, independence, and a just solution to the plight of Palestine refugees.”
He said the committee would continue its solidarity with the Palestinian people and work tirelessly to fulfill its mandate, in cooperation with all international partners, to make these noble goals a reality.

The longest refugee crisis in the world
DiCarlo said the UN position is clear: "The occupation must end," stressing the need to achieve a two-state solution that leads to peace and just security for Israelis and Palestinians in line with international law, UN resolutions and previous agreements.
"We would like to see an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security. Jerusalem will be the capital of both states."
The UN official reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to support the Palestinian people in achieving their inalienable rights to self-determination and to promoting a just, comprehensive and lasting solution in the region.
Rose Marie DiCarlo said that the legacy of the Nakba is still alive and calls for continuous work to find a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, indicating that these efforts have been central to the work of the United Nations since its inception.
She expressed deep concern about the diminishing prospects for a two-state solution based on United Nations resolutions, international law and previous agreements, warning of the continuation of violence and the rapid expansion of settlement activities, which are illegal under international law.
DiCarlo said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict caused the longest refugee crisis in the world, which led to the establishment of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), noting that UNRWA continues to deliver basic services to about six million Palestinian refugees in the Middle East. She emphasized the importance of UNRWA's work to maintain stability throughout the region.
Palestinian President: "We are the owners of the right and we will remain here until the end of the world"
At the beginning of his speech in the special session, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expressed his thanks and appreciation for the "unprecedented and historic" decision to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, which Israel committed against the Palestinian people, and this day coincides with the fifteenth of May 2023, after it was ignored. over the past years," he told the participants at the United Nations headquarters.
He stated that this decision of the General Assembly represents "an acknowledgment by your esteemed organization of the continuing historical injustice and injustice that befell the Palestinian people in 1948, before that, and still is."
Mahmoud Abbas said that the Nakba "did not begin in 1948, nor did it end after this year," noting that "Israel, the occupying state, continues its occupation and aggression against the Palestinian people, and continues to deny this Nakba, and rejects the resolutions of international legitimacy." The decision to return the Palestinian refugees to their homes, cities and villages from which they were expelled by force and intimidation.
The Palestinian President held "Britain and the United States specifically directly responsible for the plight of the Palestinian people," adding, "They are the two who participated in making our people a victim when they decided to establish and plant another entity in our historical homeland, for their own colonial goals, and Israel would not have persisted in its aggression had it not been for it." The support you receive from these countries," he said.
Mahmoud Abbas added that Israel "repeats other false allegations to cover up its aggression and crimes, as it claims that its wars against the Palestinians and Arabs were defensive wars."

He said: "How can committing massacres, destroying villages, and displacing half of the population of Palestine in 1948 be a defensive war, and how can Israel's war in 1956 and the occupation of Sinai and the Gaza Strip be a defensive war?"
The Palestinian President said, "The only bright truth that we deal with and we call on the whole world to deal with, which represents the root of the Palestinian people's narrative, is that we are right holders, we have been here since the dawn of history and we will remain here until the end of the world."
He explained that the Palestinian people stand "unified to commemorate the Nakba."
At the end of his speech, he saluted the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in Palestine and in the refugee camps and diaspora, and told them, "The memory of the Nakba will remain present in our consciousness, as a beacon and motivation for our people until the end of the occupation and the achievement of freedom and independence."