Alliancefrie landes ministermøde om Palæstina

Den 3 til 6. april 2018 var der ministermøde i De Alliancefrie Landes Organisation NAM. Her det uddrag af slutdokumentet, som handler om Palæstina. (Resolutionen fra 2018 bekræftes på et NAM-ministermøde i Caracas 20-21. juli 2019.

18th Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting of the NonAligned Movement (NAM)

Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan 03-06 April 2018

(Extracted from the Final Document of the Ministerial Meeting)

Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem

336. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the positions concerning Palestine adopted by the XVII Summit of Heads of State and/or Government of the NonAligned Movement, held in September 2016, in the Island of Margarita, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as well as by the recent NAM Ministerial Conferences and Meetings, including the principled positions set forth in the Declarations on Palestine adopted by the NAM Committee on Palestine, most recently on 19 September 2017 and 22 February 2018, which constitute the guidelines for the Non-Aligned Countries on the question of Palestine. They reaffirmed their long-standing support and solidarity with the just cause of Palestine and strong commitment to continue supporting the Palestinian people and their leadership. They underscored the need to continue providing political, economic and humanitarian support to assist the Palestinian people and to bolster their resilience and efforts aimed at achieving their legitimate national aspirations, including their inalienable right to self-determination and freedom in their independent State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

337. The Ministers recalled with deep regret that June 2017 marked the passage of fifty years since the onset of Israel’s foreign occupation of Palestinian and other Arab lands in 1967, and reflected on other solemn anniversaries in 2017, including the seventieth anniversary of the General Assembly’s decision to partition the Mandate Palestine by its resolution 181 (II) of 29 November 1947 and the ensuing 1948 Al-Nakba25 that befell the Palestinian people and called for the exertion and intensification of all necessary efforts to bring an end to this injustice and advance a peaceful and just solution. They also expressed their deep regret that since 1967, for over fifty years, the Palestinian people have continuously suffered under the brutal Israeli military occupation of their land and continue to be denied their fundamental human rights, including the right to self-determination.

338. The Ministers stressed the importance of the General Assembly’s adoption of resolution 67/19 (29 November 2012), which accorded to Palestine the status of nonmember observer State in the United Nations, reflecting the international community’s longstanding, principled support for the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including to self- determination, and for the two-State solution based on the pre-1967 borders. They reaffirmed the significance of this political achievement for the Palestinian people and the Government of the State of Palestine, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, and expressed support for further efforts to build on this historic development to enhance Palestine’s status and rights in the international arena and to ensure its rightful place in the community of nations, including by the achievement of admission to membership in the United Nations. They welcomed in this regard the application for membership submitted, on 23 September 2011, requesting the admission of the State of Palestine, convinced that the early realization of this objective will be a major step towards the advancement of freedom, dignity, stability, peace and development for the Palestinian people and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which all peoples are entitled. They reaffirmed their strong continued support to the admission process of the State of Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations as soon as possible.

339. The Ministers also recalled the importance of the recent accessions by the State of Palestine to several international conventions, upholding the rule of international law and enhancing its ability to protect and promote the rights of the Palestinian people, and noted in particular its accession to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, as an important step for countering impunity for war crimes, ensuring accountability and achieving justice.

340. The Ministers condemned Israel’s continuing military occupation of the Palestinian Territory in breach of international law and UN resolutions. They condemned the continuing brutal Israeli military campaign against the defenseless Palestinian people by which the occupying Power has continued to commit grave human rights violations and reported war crimes, including by use of excessive, indiscriminate force that over the years has killed and injured thousands of Palestinian civilians, including children, and has caused vast destruction of properties, infrastructure and agricultural lands. They also condemned illegal Israeli settlement activities by which the occupying Power has continued to colonize the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and to forcibly displace Palestinian civilians in grave breach of international law. They further condemned the provocations and incitement by groups of extremist settlers, including against the holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem and the vandalization of mosques and churches which are fueling tensions and religious sensitivities that risk further destabilization. They also condemned Israel’s imposition of collective punishment on the Palestinian people by various illegal measures, particularly 25 This is the term commonly used to refer to the catastrophe and tragedy that befell the Palestinian people in 1948, by which they lost their homeland and by which the majority of Palestinians were forcibly uprooted from their homes and displaced, becoming refugees, whose plight continues until this day in the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to an illegal Israeli blockade since 2007. The Ministers reiterated their demand that Israel, the occupying Power, immediately cease all such violations of international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, and fully abide by its legal obligations, including under the 4th Geneva Convention. The Ministers of the Movement that are Party to the Rome Statute also affirmed the importance of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for addressing reported war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed by Israel against the Palestinian people, and emphasized the centrality of justice in bringing an end to such crimes and impunity.

341. The Ministers reiterated their grave concern about the plight of thousands of Palestinian civilians, including children, women and elected officials, held captive in Israeli prisons and detention centers, which number over 6,500 persons, and about ongoing arrest raids being carried out by the Israeli occupying forces. They deplored Israel’s ill-treatment of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including reported torture, solitary confinement, prolonged administrative detention, inadequate access to proper medical care, education and family visits, subjection to military trials, unsanitary conditions of detention in grave violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and human rights law. They reiterated their deep concern about the death of several prisoners due to abuse and medical negligence.

342. The Ministers expressed grave concern in particular over Palestinian child prisoners and detainees, and demanded that Israel, the occupying Power, cease the abhorrent practice of imprisoning children, including by means of administrative detention, and that it respects its obligations under international law, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child. They called again for proper international access to Palestinian prisoners and detainees and inspection of their conditions. They also renewed the call for the immediate release of all Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails, reaffirming the Ministerial Declaration on Palestinian Political Prisoners of Bali (May 2011) and Sharm El Sheikh (May 2012), as well as the Communiqué issued by the Coordinating Bureau of the Movement on 21 April 2017. They expressed support for all efforts in this regard, including the “International Campaign for the Freedom of Marwan Barghouti and all Palestinian Prisoners”, and welcomed the “Robben Island Declaration”.

343. The Ministers condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli military aggression against the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the killing of more than 2,150 Palestinians, the overwhelming majority civilians, including more than 550 children and 250 women; the injury of more than 11,000 people, including 3,000 children, more than 1,000 of whom will suffer life-long disabilities; the displacement of more than a third of the population of Gaza during the height of the crisis, with more than 110,000 people rendered homeless; and the wanton and deliberate destruction of and damage to thousands of Palestinian homes and vital civilian infrastructure, including water, sanitation and electricity networks, schools, hospitals, mosques, public institutions, business properties, farms and more than 100 UN facilities, the majority of them UNRWA schools, all in grave breach of international humanitarian law. They called upon Israel to immediately cease the perpetration of military aggression in all manifestations against the Palestinian people under its occupation. They recalled in this regard the holding of the emergency meeting of the NAM Committee on Palestine at the Ministerial level on 4 August 2014 in Tehran, the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was held during the latest Israeli aggression against Gaza, and also recalled the Declaration adopted by this Ministerial meeting which expressed NAM’s unwavering support for the just cause of Palestine.

344. The Ministers expressed grave concern about the grave situation in the Gaza Strip due to the lasting impact of the Israeli military aggression of July and August 2014, which they condemned in the strongest terms, as it caused massive human and physical devastation. The also expressed grave concern over the exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis there as the entire Palestinian civilian population continues to be inhumanely isolated, besieged and deprived by the decade-long illegal Israeli blockade – a blockade that constitutes massive collective punishment and a grave breach of international humanitarian and human rights law.

345. The Ministers deplored the continuing obstruction of the reconstruction and the extremely slow pace of recovery of Gaza due to the ongoing illegal Israeli blockade, and expressed deep regret that thousands of families remain displaced and homeless and that vital infrastructure has not been rebuilt, severely impacting humanitarian, socio-economic, psychosocial and environmental conditions. They reiterated their call for the complete lifting of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip and called upon Israel to promptly and unconditionally open all its crossing points with the Strip, in accordance with international humanitarian law and all UN resolutions, including Security Council resolution 1860 (2009). They reiterated their call for respect for the ceasefire agreement achieved on 26 August 2014, based on the Egyptian initiative on the basis of the November 2012 ceasefire agreement, along with their continuous calls for urgent efforts to ensure the immediate, sustained and regular opening of all border crossing points into and out of the Gaza Strip to allow for the movement of persons and goods, including humanitarian assistance, medical supplies, food, fuel supplies, construction materials and commercial flows, including exports, necessary for economic recovery. They expressed their appreciation to the Egyptian efforts in facilitating humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people through the Rafah Border crossing, throughout the duration of the Israeli aggression.

346. The Ministers recalled the report of the Independent Commission of Inquiry (COI) established by the Human Rights Council, pursuant to its resolution S-21/1 of 23 July 2014, to investigate all violations of international humanitarian and human rights law resulting from Israel’s 2014 military aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and recalled also other relevant inquiries and reports of the Secretary-General related to the violations of international law and human rights law on Children and Armed Conflict, and called for continuous follow-up, including, inter alia, in the Security Council, to ensure accountability. They deplored that Israel has continued to deliberately ignore the recommendations made in the above-mentioned reports, resolutions and inquiries without consequence, and reiterated their call for the establishing accountability for the grave breaches and crimes perpetrated and for justice for the victims of these crimes. They stressed that, in addition to violating countless provisions of human rights law, such collective punishment measures by Israel are tantamount to grave breaches of international humanitarian law, by which it is bound as the occupying Power and with which it must scrupulously comply. They stressed in this regard the need to ensure protection for the Palestinian civilian population in accordance with international humanitarian law and the relevant Security Council resolutions regarding the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

347. The Ministers continued to call for accountability for the crimes and violations committed by Israel, the occupying Power, during its December 2008-January 2009 and July–August 2014 military aggressions against the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip. They reiterated the call for the international community, including the Security Council, to ensure serious follow-up efforts to bring an end to Israel’s impunity and to realize justice for the victims, including action to follow-up the findings contained in the report of the “United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict” (Goldstone Report). They further stressed the importance of the investigation by the Independent Commission of Inquiry established by the Human Rights Council, pursuant to its resolution S-21/1 of 23 July 2014, as well as by the Board of Inquiry dispatched by the UN Secretary-General, towards establishing accountability for the crimes perpetrated in July and August 2014 and ensuring justice for the many innocent victims.

348. The Ministers reaffirmed the obligations of the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions with regard to penal sanctions, grave breaches and responsibilities. They welcomed the reconvening the Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention on measures to enforce the Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and to ensure its respect in accordance with common article 1, as called for by the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council. They expressed appreciation to Switzerland, in its capacity as Dep ositary of the Geneva Conventions, for convening the Conference. They welcomed the Declaration endorsed by the Conference, reaffirming, inter alia, the statement of 15 July 1999 and the Declaration of 5 December 2001 and 17 December 2014; expressing the deep concern about the continued impact of the Israeli occupation; and calling upon Israel, the occupying Power, to fully and effectively respect the Fourth Geneva Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

349. The Ministers reiterated the urgency of reconstructing Gaza, particularly following the massive destruction inflicted by the occupying Power in July and August 2014. They called upon the international community to fulfill the pledges made at the Conference on Palestine hosted by Egypt and Norway in Cairo on 12 October 2014 for reconstruction, humanitarian aid and development in Gaza. They also called for serious efforts to compel Israel, the occupying Power, to allow for the entry of all necessary construction materials for the repair of the thousands of destroyed and damaged Palestinian homes, properties and infrastructure and UN facilities, including UNRWA schools. They also stressed the necessity of sustained commercial flows, including both imports and exports, to promote the recovery of livelihoods, businesses, and industry in Gaza and its economic viability and to alleviate the staggering levels of unemployment and poverty that continue rise due to the blockade and destruction. They stressed that the crisis situation in the Gaza Strip must be comprehensively addressed, in accordance with international law, including humanitarian and human rights law, and the relevant UN resolutions, in the overall context of the belligerent Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian Territory since 1967, including East Jerusalem, with a view to addressing the root causes, bringing the occupation to a complete end, and achieving a just and lasting peace.

350. The Ministers reiterated their categorical condemnation of Israel’s continuing illegal campaign of settler colonization in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. They also condemned the violence, terror, provocations and incitement by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians and properties, including homes, orchards, mosques and churches. They deplored all illegal Israeli actions associated with this destructive colonization campaign, particularly ongoing land confiscations; the construction and expansion of illegal settlements, settlement “outposts” and settlement infrastructure; the transfer of more Israeli settlers; the construction of the Wall; home demolitions; residency revocations; forced displacement of civilians; excavations; and the imposition of arbitrary and racist residency and movement restrictions via a permit regime and hundreds of checkpoints throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory, especially in and around Occupied East Jerusalem.

351. The Ministers reiterated that such policies and measures by Israel, the occupying Power, constitute grave breaches of international law and flagrant defiance of UN resolutions and the 9 July 2004 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, and in this regard recalled the responsibilities of States not to support, facilitate or cooperate, directly or indirectly, with such unlawful policies and to undertake practical measures to bring them to a halt. They urged the undertaking of serious efforts, collectively and individually, to ensure respect of the legal obligations defined in the ICJ Advisory Opinion, including by the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention.

352. The Ministers stressed the incompatibility of peace negotiations with Israeli colonization activities, and demanded an immediate cessation and reversal of all such illegal activities. They expressed deep concern about the extensive physical, economic and social devastation being caused by the Israeli settlements, Wall and network of checkpoints, which are severing the Palestinian Territory into separate areas, including several walled cantons; isolating East Jerusalem from the rest of the Territory; forcibly displacing thousands of Palestinians from their homes, including many Bedouin families, particularly in the Jordan Valley; and completely destroying some communities. They stressed that such actions gravely undermine the contiguity, integrity, viability and unity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and jeopardize the prospects for physically achieving the two-State solution for peace on the basis of the 1967 borders. They recalled in this regard the “United Nations Register of Damage caused by the 104 Construction of the Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, and called for the speedy fulfillment of its mandate in order to redress the losses and suffering being endured by the Palestinian people as a result of the Wall.

353. The Ministers reaffirmed all relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions calling for a cessation of all Israeli settlement activities, including those relating to Jerusalem and confirming that it is an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory; demanded their full implementation; and considered that all Israeli measures aimed at altering the legal, geographic and demographic character and status of Jerusalem and of the Occupied Palestinian Territory as a whole are null and void and have no legal validity whatsoever. They also recalled Israel’s obligations under the Quartet Roadmap to freeze all settlement activities, including so-called “natural growth”. They reaffirmed that these unlawful measures will not be recognized by the international community and cannot alter the terms of reference of a peaceful solution nor negate the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people; 354. The Ministers expressed alarm about continued provocations and incitement by Israeli extremists and officials in Occupied East Jerusalem, particularly at Al-Aqsa Mosque, which have aggravated tensions and religious sensitivities and resentment and risk the outbreak of a religious conflict. They called for the cessation of all provocations and aggressions in this regard and for respect for the sanctity of holy sites, rejecting any attempts to alter the status quo. They also expressed support for Jordan in preserving and administrating the Islamic and Christian Holy sites in Jerusalem, including AlHaram al-Sharif and the Hashemite historic Custodianship of the sites as exercised by His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn al-Husain. They also recalled the International Conference on Jerusalem held in Doha in February 2012 and welcomed the establishment of the “Jerusalem Support Fund” by the State of Qatar, and expressed support for the “Palestinian Strategic Plan for the Development of the Vital Sectors in Jerusalem”. They further stressed the need to approach the appropriate United Nations bodies to establish an international commission to investigate all the measures taken by Israel, the occupying Power, in the City aimed at altering and erasing its Islamic and Arab features and status.

355. The Ministers commended the efforts of His Majesty King Mohammed VI as Chair of AlQuds Committee of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and welcomed in this regard the conclusions and the final communiqué of the 20th session of Al-Quds Committee, held in Marrakech, Morocco on 17-18 January 2014. They recalled the outcome of the first meeting of the OIC Ministerial Contact Group on defending the cause of Palestine and protecting the City of Al-Quds held in Rabat, Morocco, on 12 November 2014, Chaired by the Kingdom of Morocco, with the participation of Azerbaijan, Egypt, Guinea, Jordan, Malaysia, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the OIC Secretary General. They expressed their support to the approved set of practical measures to support the State of Palestine, strengthen the resilience of the people of Jerusalem in their city.

356. The Ministers commended the efforts exerted by the OIC Ministerial Contact Group in Charge of Defending the Cause of Al-Quds Al Shareef and Palestine, mainly the recommendations contained in the communiqué, adopted by the Second Meeting held, under the chairmanship of the Kingdom of Morocco, in New York on 26 September 2015, on the margin of the 70th Session of the General Assembly.

357. The Ministers concluded that illegal Israeli settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, remain the major obstacle to peace, impairing all efforts to advance negotiations and achieve peace based on the two-State solution in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, the Madrid principles, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Road Map. They reiterated the calls for a full cessation of all such illegal activities, which entrench Israel’s nearly half-century military occupation in contradiction to legal obligations and the consensus global calls for an end to the occupation. They cautioned that only a small chance remains to salvage the two-State solution on the pre-1967 borders, which, if thwarted, would require the consideration of alternative solutions to end this prolonged conflict and injustice and realize the inalienable rights and freedom of the Palestinian people. If faced with continued Israeli defiance, they called for urgent action and practical measures by the international community, collectively as well as individually, to compel the occupying Power to cease completely its settlement campaign in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and to abide forthwith by all of its obligations under international law.

358. The Ministers welcomed, in this regard, the adoption of resolution 2334 on 23 December 2016 by the Security Council, and welcomed the leading role played by the members of NAM Caucus in that body in line with its Charter duty for the maintenance of international peace and security. They recalled that resolution 2334 (2016), inter alia, reaffirmed the illegality of Israeli settlement activities; reiterated the demand that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem; underlined that the Council will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations; called upon all States to distinguish in their relevant dealings between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied in 1967; called for an end to all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation, incitement and destruction; and urged the intensification of international and regional efforts and support aimed at achieving without delay a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions, Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, Arab Peace Initiative and Quartet Roadmap and an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967.

359. The Ministers condemned the occupying Power’s contempt of the Security Council and called for immediate measures to implement resolution 2334 (2016) and all other relevant resolutions regarding the Palestine question and to hold Israel accountable for its violations and grave breaches. They stressed the importance of the reports by the Secretary-General pursuant to the resolution for monitoring implementation, and called for serious follow-up by the Security Council to ensure respect of its resolutions and accountability. In this regard, reiterated that it is fundamentally unacceptable to delegate the fulfillment of the mandate of the Security Council to a state that has consistently adopted policies and practices that are inherently incompatible with the spirit and letter of the United Nations Charter and acts in blatant contempt to Security Council resolutions.

360. The Ministers also expressed grave concerns regarding ongoing violations being perpetrated by Israel, the occupying Power, in Occupied East Jerusalem, including attempts aimed at altering the character, status and demographic composition of the City of Jerusalem. In this regard, it deplores all breaches of international law and provocations in the City, stressing that such actions have no legal validity and are null and void, as determined by the Security Council of the United Nations. It further reaffirms all Security Council and General Assembly resolutions relating to Jerusalem and confirming that it is an integral part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

361. The Ministers reaffirmed their support for the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas and emphasized the importance of protecting and strengthening national, democratic Palestinian institutions, including the Palestinian Legislative Council. They reiterated the importance of Palestinian unity for preserving the unity and integrity of the Palestinian Territory and for the realization of the just, legitimate national rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people. They welcomed the efforts of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the “Agreement to End Palestinian Division”, signed in Cairo on October 2017 (S/2017/899). In this connection, they urged the achievement of Palestinian reconciliation based on that agreement as well as the 2011 Cairo and 2012 Doha agreements and commended the serious efforts undertaken in this regard by the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Government of the State of Qatar, the League of Arab States and all other concerned regional parties to bring the sides together. They urged the implementation of agreements reached in this regard, stressing that unity is vital for achieving the inalienable rights and legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinian people. They called on the international community to respect and support Palestinian reconciliation and to reject and demand a halt to Israeli punitive measures in this regard and called for support of the Palestinian national consensus government.

362. The Ministers called for urgent efforts to further support the development and strengthening of Palestinian national institutions, stressing the importance of this effort in laying strong foundations for the independence of the State of Palestine. In this connection, they strongly welcomed the important step taken, including by several Members of the Movement, in extending official recognition to the State of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders, as well as the recent recognition extended by Sweden and the calls for recognition by numerous European parliaments. They considered that such recognition constitutes a significant contribution to sustaining momentum towards the ultimate realization of independence. They reiterated the hope that all Members of the Movement would extend recognition to Palestine at this time, remaining at the forefront of support of this historic march of the Palestinian people to realize their inalienable human rights, including to self-determination in their independent and sovereign State, to redress the historic injustice they have endured, and to achieve peace.

363. The Ministers called for intensification of efforts by the entire international community, particularly the Security Council, to address the current political and humanitarian crisis, in order to ameliorate the situation on the ground, de-escalate tensions and help advance credible peace solution, based on clear parameters and within a set timeframe, towards the achievement of a solution that guarantees the complete end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, that began in 1967, and the independence of a sovereign, contiguous, and viable State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital as well as a just solution for the Palestine refugee problem based on General Assembly resolution 194 (III). They stressed that such a solution is essential for the promotion of comprehensive peace and security in the region.

364. The Ministers expressed deep concern about the critical situation and heightened vulnerability of Palestine refugees in the recent period, particularly due to the instability and crises throughout the region, which underscores the regional dimension of this problem and the urgent need for a just, comprehensive solution. They commended the efforts of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in providing vital support and emergency assistance to the Palestine refugees in all fields of operation, particularly in the Gaza Strip and Syria at this time and urged increased donor support to the Agency for the implementation of its mandate, in particular in light of the dramatic reduction of funds by the Government of the United States of America. They rejected such decisions as punitive measures and called for upholding humanitarian principles and responsibilities. They also commended the Agency and recognized its decades-long contribution to the human development and protection of the Palestine refugees and the promotion of their rights and dignity as well as its contribution to stability in region.

365. Welcomes the outcome of the Extraordinary Ministerial Conference entitled “Preserving Dignity and Sharing Responsibility – Mobilizing Collective Action for UNRWA” held on 15 March 2018, in Rome, and convened by Foreign Ministers of Jordan, Sweden and Egypt as co-chairs, where the participants expressed powerful political support for UNRWA, its mandate and its critical services to the Palestine refugees. In addition, pledges by numerous participants were made as additional funding for UNRWA of approximately US$ 100 million, of which US$ 50 million pledged by the State of Qatar, to help addressing the Agency’s unprecedented funding shortfall, and to sustain its vital services.

366. The Ministers strongly urged all Member States, regional and international financial institutions, and non-governmental organizations to urgently address the chronic funding shortfalls faced by UNRWA through increasing their contributions to the Agency and supporting UNRWA’s necessary and valuable role in the well-being, protection and human development of the Palestine refugees, until a just and lasting solution is found to their plight, in accordance with United Nations resolutions.

367. The Ministers commended the many bilateral and multilateral efforts in the political, humanitarian, social, economic and developmental fields, undertaken by the Non-Aligned countries in support of the Palestinian people in their struggle to achieve their inalienable rights and full independence. They welcomed, inter alia, the initiative of Indonesia in establishing the New Asian African Strategic Partnership (NAASP) Capacity Building Programs for Palestine, the efforts regarding Palestine by the Summit of South American-Arab Countries (ASPA) as well as the Co-Chairmanship of Japan, Indonesia and Palestine in conducting the Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD). They also recognized the efforts of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the contributions of Members of the Movement in this regard. They called for the intensification of all such cooperation and support in line with the principled positions of the Movement. In this context, recalled the State of Kuwait’s efforts to convene an international conference on the widespread and systematic violations of the rights of Palestinian children in the occupied territory of the State of Palestine.

368. The Ministers reaffirmed the necessity of upholding international law, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter with regard to the question of Palestine under all circumstances and called for the implementation of all relevant UN resolutions. They urged the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution that calls for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine without delay. They reaffirmed the permanent responsibility of the UN towards the question of Palestine until it is resolved in all its aspects on the basis of international law and stressed the need for all relevant UN organs, committees and specialized agencies to continue exerting efforts to this end in accordance with the relevant resolutions. They reiterated the call upon the UN not to reward illegal actions and intransigence and to increase its efforts towards the attainment of a just, comprehensive and lasting peace and the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. They called for coordinated, collective efforts at the governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental levels for realizing these objectives in the year 2015.

369. Consistent with, and guided by, the afore-mentioned principled positions, and affirming the need to defend, preserve and promote these positions, the Ministers agreed to undertake the following measures:

369.1. Continue holding meetings at the ministerial level of the NAM Committee on Palestine, within the framework of the Coordinating Bureau Ministerial Meetings that take place at the outset of UNGA regular sessions and during any other Ministerial Meetings of the Movement, whenever necessary and in accordance with the developments on this issue, to mobilize support for the Palestinian people as well as responsible action at the international and regional levels, including in parliaments, to address such developments and promote peace on the basis of international law and the relevant resolutions in this regard;

369.2. Maintain regular contacts and dialogue at the ministerial level between the NAM Ministerial Delegation on Palestine and the members of the UN Security Council, the Quartet and the Arab Ministerial Follow-up Committee, with a view to coordinating and enhancing the role played by NAM in the international efforts seeking a solution to the question of Palestine and lasting peace in the region;

369.3. Enhance contacts and coordination with civil society to mobilize international awareness and public opinion on this issue towards making a substantial contribution to attaining a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the Middle East;

370. The Ministers rejected and strongly denounced the 6 December 2017 unilateral decision by the Government of the United States of America to recognize the City of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to transfer the American Embassy to Israel to the City and called for the US Government to reverse and rescind its decision. They cautioned that this provocative decision will further heighten tensions, with potentially far-reaching repercussions. They categorically rejected these and any other related actions recognizing Israel’s illegal measures and claims in the City aimed at consolidating Israel’s unlawful control and de facto annexation of the City, in grave breach of international law and direct contravention of the relevant Security Council 108 resolutions, including 476 (1980), 478 (1980) and 2334 (2016), and affirmed that such actions have no legal effect and are null and void. They strongly welcomed the adoption of the General Assembly resolution ES-10/19 on 21 December 2017 by an overwhelming majority, reaffirming the relevant resolutions; reiterating the call upon all States to refrain from establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem, pursuant to resolution 478 (1980) of the Security Council; and stressed that Jerusalem is a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations in line with relevant UN resolutions.

371. The Ministers appreciated the efforts made by the State of Kuwait in its capacity as President of the Security Council for the month of February 2018 to hold a special session on Palestine, as well as to contribute to the holding of the informal consultations under the “Arria Formula” on the prospects for a two-state solution for peace, as well as their efforts to hold an emergency session of the Council over the bloody events which resulted in the killing and injuring of hundreds of Palestinian civilians participating in a non-violent march in the Gaza strip to commemorate Land Day, at the hands of Israeli occupation soldiers on 30 March 2018.

372. The Ministers welcomed the efforts exerted by His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco, in his capacity as President of the Committee Al-Quds, and noted with appreciation the letters sent to His Excellency António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, on 25 July 2017, condemning the Israeli violations in Al Haram Al Sharif, as well as his letter dated 07 December 2017, following the decision made by the American Administration to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in flagrant violation of Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.

373. The Ministers welcomed the convening and the Final Communiqué of the Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference held in Istanbul on 13 December 2017, including the participation of His Excellency Nicolás Maduro Moros, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, in his capacity as Chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, and the conclusions of the Arab Ministerial Meeting held in Cairo on 09 December 2017 rejecting the unilateral decision of the President of the United States of America to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the occupying power. They considered this decision as null and void, and to be without any legal effect; and they affirmed the need for the protection and preservation of the unique spiritual, religious and cultural dimensions of the City, in accordance with relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions. They urged serious follow-up of the commitments made in this regard.

374. The Ministers strongly urged all Member States to support Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif, the executive arm of the Al Quds Committee chaired by His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco, in order to help the steadfastness of the inhabitants of Al-Quds.