Resolution 53/42
(December 2, 1998)
The General Assembly,
Recalling its relevant resolutions, including resolutions adopted at
the tenth emergency special session,
Recalling also the relevant Security Council resolutions, including
resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967 and 338 (1973) of 22 October
1973,
Aware that 1997 marked fifty years since the adoption of resolution
181 (II) of 29 November 1947 and thirty years since the occupation of
Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem,
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General 1/
submitted pursuant to the request made in its resolution 52/52 of 9
December 1997,
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 embodied in 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,
Recalling 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 in
Washington, D.C., on 13 September 1993, 2/ 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, 3/
Recalling also the withdrawal of the Israeli army, which took place
in the Gaza Strip and the Jericho area in 1995 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 in 1996,
Noting with satisfaction the successful holding of the first
Palestinian general elections,
Noting with appreciation the work 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, as well as all follow-up
meetings and the international mechanisms established to provide assistance
to the Palestinian people,
Concerned about the serious difficulties facing the Middle East
peace process, and expressing the hope that the Wye River Memorandum,
signed in Washington, D.C., on 23 October 1998, will be fully implemented
towards full compliance with the existing agreements,
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 of 1993, 2/ as well as the subsequent
implementation agreements, including the Israeli-Palestinian Interim
Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip of 1995, 3/ 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 commitment to the principle of land
for peace and the implementation of Security Council resolutions 242 (1967)
and 338 (1973), which form the basis of the Middle East peace process, and
the need for the immediate and scrupulous implementation of the agreements
reached between the parties, including the redeployment of the Israeli
forces from the West Bank and the commencement of the negotiations on the
final settlement;
4. Calls upon the concerned parties, the co-sponsors of the peace
process and other interested parties, as well as the entire international
community to exert all the necessary efforts and initiatives to bring the
peace process back on track and to ensure its continuity and success;
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.
76th plenary meeting
2 December 1998
1/ A/53/652-S/1998/1050; see Official Records of the Security
Council, Fifty-third Year, Supplement for October, November and December
1998, document S/1998/1050.
2/ A/48/486-S/26560, annex; see Official Records of the Security
Council, Forty-eighth Year, Supplement for October, November and December
1993, document S/26560.
3/ A/51/889-S/1997/357, annex; see Official Records of the
Security Council, Fifty-second Year, Supplement for April, May and June
1997, document S/1997/357.
Sources: The United Nations |