“The people of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, also endured unspeakable hardship amid Israeli military operations, settler violence, settlement expansion, evictions and demolition,” Chief of Staff Courtenay Rattray stressed, speaking on behalf of the UN Secretary-General.
The International Day is celebrated annually on November 29, the day in 1947 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on the partition of Palestine into two independent states, one Arab and the other Jewish.
The UN defends a simple truth: the Palestinian people have the right to dignity, justice and self-determination, Rattray stressed.
Humanitarian aid is still needed to save lives
For millions of Palestinians, the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, “remains a lifeline,” he said.
The international community must continue to support him as the UN strives to reach the $4 billion target set by the Flash Appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, he added.
The International Court of Justice and the UN General Assembly have affirmed that the prolonged occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal.
Gaza is in ruins, and the dead and wounded include civilians, including children and women. Aid workers and journalists have also been affected. Meanwhile, attacks are increasingly targeting Palestinian farmers in the West Bank trying to harvest their olive crops.
“Hope can become reality. The hope that two peoples, united by history, geography and humanity, will live side by side in peace.” said Mr. Rattray.
“On this International Day of Solidarity, let us turn that hope into action and help the olive tree grow once again.”