Sheikh Khalifa renews UAE’s commitment to Palestine

Sheikh Khalifa sent a letter to Fode Seck, head of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, during a meeting to mark the Observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Powered by automated translation

NEW YORK // The UAE has renewed its commitment to supporting the Palestinian people in their struggle to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

President Sheikh Khalifa declared the ongoing support in a letter to Fode Seck, head of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, as the world body marked the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

“It is an episode of frustration and desperation that feeds the current patterns of violence, extremism and terrorism and poses a threat to regional and international security and stability,” Sheikh Khalifa said.

He warned that Israel illegally building and expanding settlements exposed its intentions to perpetuate occupation of the Palestinian and Arab lands.

Sheikh Khalifa affirmed the UAE’s support to the efforts aimed at setting a timeframe for ending the Israeli occupation, based on the resolution of international legitimacy and on the principles of land for peace and the Arab Peace Initiative.

He called on the UN, the Security Council and the Quartet to actively support international initiatives for peace, for providing international protection to the Palestinian people and their properties, and for lifting the blockade on Gaza.

“This requires sending a clear message to Israel as the occupying force, reminding it that the flagrant violations of the Palestinian human rights, of their territories and sacred places, cannot be tolerated under the UN Charter and the international laws, including the fourth Geneva Convention of 1949,” Sheikh Khalifa said.

“We in the UAE commit to continue our solidarity and our political and economic support to the Palestinian people, based on our belief in their just cause.

“We sincerely hope that the donor countries will fully honour their financial commitments to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza Strip, which has been under blockade since 2006, to enable its reconstruction under a unified national authority.”

newsdesk@thenational.ae