United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pledged on Wednesday that the UN will firmly support the Palestinian people.
“The United Nations will not waver in its commitment to the Palestinian people,” the UN chief said in his remarks observing the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which falls on Nov. 29 each year.
“On this International Day of Solidarity, let us reaffirm our commitment to upholding the rights of the Palestinian people and to building a future of peace, justice, security and dignity for Palestinians and Israelis alike,” he added.
The UN chief called on all actors, “and first and foremost the leadership of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, to take bold steps and restore faith in the promise of Resolution 181, of two states living side-by-side in peace and security, fulfilling the legitimate national aspirations of both peoples, with borders based on the 1967 lines and Jerusalem as the capital of both states – East Jerusalem being the capital of the Palestinian state.”
“Only constructive negotiations, in good faith, and adhering to the long-established and agreed parameters for a two-state solution, will bring the desired, long-lasting solution,” the secretary-general noted.
In the meantime, the UN chief said he was “encouraged by the recent reduction of violence in Gaza.”
He commended the efforts of the government of Egypt and key regional and international partners – together with his special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process – to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, restore calm and support intra-Palestinian reconciliation and the return of the legitimate Palestinian Government in Gaza.
The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is a UN-organized annual observance, which was established in UN General Assembly Resolution 32/40 B of Dec. 2, 1977 to start in 1978.