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UN General Assembly Resolutions: Resolution 51/26

(December 4, 1996)

Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine

The General Assembly,

Recalling its relevant resolutions,

Recalling also the relevant Security Council resolutions,
including resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of
22 October 1973,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General 1/ submitted
pursuant to the request made in its resolution 50/84 D of 15 December 1995,

Convinced that achieving a final and peaceful settlement of the
question of Palestine, the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict, is
imperative for the attainment of a comprehensive and lasting peace in
the Middle East,

Aware that the principle of equal rights and self-determination
of peoples is among the purposes and principles of the Charter of the
United Nations,

Affirming the principle of the inadmissibility of the acquisition
of territory by war,

Affirming also the illegality of the Israeli settlements in the
territory occupied since 1967 and of Israeli actions aimed at changing
the status of Jerusalem,

Affirming once again the right of all States in the region to
live in peace within secure and internationally recognized borders,

Aware of the mutual recognition between the Government of the
State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, the
representative of the Palestinian people, and the signing by the two
parties of the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government
Arrangements 2/ in Washington, D.C., on 13 September 1993, as well
as the subsequent implementation agreements, including the Israeli-
Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
signed in Washington, D.C., on 28 September 1995,

Noting with satisfaction the withdrawal of the Israeli army,
which took place in the Gaza Strip and the Jericho area in accordance
with the agreements reached by the parties, and the initiation of the
Palestinian Authority in those areas, as well as the beginning of the
redeployment of the Israeli army in the rest of the West Bank,

Noting also with satisfaction the successful holding of the first
Palestinian general elections,

Aware that the United Nations has participated as a full,
extraregional participant in the work of the multilateral working
groups of the Middle East peace process,

Noting the establishment of the Office of the United Nations
Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories and its positive
contribution,

Welcoming the convening of the Conference to Support Middle East
Peace in Washington, D.C., on 1 October 1993, and all follow-up
meetings,

Concerned over the serious difficulties facing the Middle East
peace process and the deterioration of the socio-economic conditions
of the Palestinian people as a result of the Israeli positions and
measures,

1. Reaffirms the necessity of achieving a peaceful settlement
of the question of Palestine, the core of the Arab-Israeli conflict,
in all its aspects;

2. Expresses its full support for the ongoing peace process
which began in Madrid and the Declaration of Principles on Interim
Self-Government Arrangements 2/ of 1993, as well as the subsequent
implementation agreements, including the Israeli-Palestinian Interim
Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip of 1995, and expresses
the hope that the process will lead to the establishment of a
comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East;

3. Stresses the necessity for the immediate and scrupulous
implementation of the agreements reached between the parties and the
commencement of the negotiations on the final settlement;

4. Calls upon the concerned parties, the co-sponsors of the
peace process and the entire international community to exert all the
necessary efforts to ensure the success of the peace process;

5. Stresses the need for:

(a) The realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, primarily the right to self-determination;

(b) The withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967;

6. Also stresses the need for resolving the problem of the
Palestine refugees in conformity with its resolution 194 (III) of
11 December 1948;

7. Urges Member States to expedite the provision of economic
and technical assistance to the Palestinian people during this
critical period;

8. Emphasizes the importance for the United Nations to play a
more active and expanded role in the current peace process and in the
implementation of the Declaration of Principles;

9. Requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts with
the parties concerned, and in consultation with the Security Council,
for the promotion of peace in the region and to submit progress
reports on developments in this matter.


72nd plenary meeting
4 December 1996


Notes

1/ A/51/678-S/1996/953.

2/ A/48/486-S/26560, annex.


Sources: The United Nations