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Statement by South Africa to the Security Council on "The Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question", 22 November 2000 Mr President, The Non-Aligned Movement comes before this meeting today and wishes to repeat its call to Israel to stop subjecting the Palestinian civilians to collective punishment.This is in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.We reiterate our call to Israel to act with restraint, and to meticulously abide by its legal obligations with respect to the Fourth Geneva Convention. Just more than a month ago, this august body met in emergency session, in accordance with its mandate as the custodian of international peace and security, and adopted resolution 1322. The resolution called for the establishment of an international enquiry to the conflict. The NAM believes that the full and expeditious implementation of Security Council Resolution 1322 would go a long way in proving that the Council is prepared to take decisive action in the maintenance of international peace and security. It is time to seriously consider protecting the Palestinian people. Mr President, The NAM firmly believes that it remains the permanent responsibility of the United Nations to stay fully engaged in the Palestinian question until a definitive solution is achieved.In this regard, we welcome and fully support the important role of the UN Secretary-General in the pursuit of peace at the Sharm Al-Sheikh Summit, and his efforts in the recent dialogue with both the Israelis and Palestinians.This serves to reaffirm the primacy of the UN in global peace and security.We appeal to both parties to respond constructively. It is incumbent upon the UN to adopt measures to protect the Palestinian people, and to ensure that actions which exacerbate their suffering, must not be allowed to continue.The international community has an obligation to this end. We call on the Council to seriously consider the immediate deployment of a protection force to the region. Mr President, The question of Palestine constitutes the nucleus of the Middle East conflict.The achievement of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to an independent State with East Jerusalem as its capital, is pivotal to the achievement of a sustained and comprehensive peace in the Middle East. The Movement believes that peaceful negotiation is the only means of ensuring lasting peace, security and stability in the region.We urge the parties to take the required steps to ensure the cessation of hostilities, to restore calm, and adopt measures to re-establish mutual trust.It is only then that an atmosphere conducive to the resumption of negotiations, can be created. The Ministers of NAM, meeting in September in New York during the Millennium Assembly, reaffirmed their determination to actively strive towards the achievement of a just and comprehensive peace on the basis of Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). Mr President, In a statement issued in Pretoria yesterday, the South African Government strongly condemned the attack on the Israeli civilian bus two days ago.We equally strongly condemned the disproportionate and excessive retaliatory attacks by the Israeli security force that followed, disturbingly moving the crisis to a precarious new level.We must ask ourselves the question : how much longer can this collective punishment by an occupying militarily superior force - in violation of international humanitarian law - be endured by the Palestinian people?Closures, blockades, and restrictions on the movement of goods, persons, and resources imposed by Israel have resulted in the economic suffocation of the Palestinian people.The crisis has exacted too much suffering and claimed too many innocent lives. We firmly believe that the condition of land for peace is essential if meaningful progress in the peace process is to be attained.For a durable, just and comprehensive peace, negotiation towards final status issues has to be in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and international legitimacy. I thank you.
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