The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) plenary meeting on the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East is held at the UN headquarters in New York Dec. 1, 2021. Abdulla Shahid, president of the 76th session of the UNGA, on Wednesday emphasized the need for action rather than words to bring a resolution to the Palestinian question. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Abdulla Shahid, president of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on Wednesday emphasized the need for action rather than words to bring a resolution to the Palestinian question.
The lack of progress on the Palestinian question is "disheartening," Shahid told the UNGA plenary meeting on the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East. "Words cannot save Palestinian people suffering from decades of occupation, arbitrary arrests, and the use of excessive force against them."
"Words cannot restore their demolished homes or halt the proliferation of illegal settlements on their land," he added.
"These issues can only be resolved when we take action to resolve them: by providing humanitarian assistance; by ending this conflict; by upholding the human dignity of the region's inhabitants," the UNGA president stressed.
Shahid underscored that "the most important thing we can do is bring an end to this conflict by facilitating a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders."
"That two-states solution, as outlined in Resolution 181, remains the only path to ensuring that Palestinians and Israelis can both realize their legitimate aspirations, living side-by-side in peace and security, based on the 1967 borders, and with Jerusalem as the capital of both states," he said.
"Yet, until now we have not achieved the establishment of a state for the Palestinian people in line with international law," he said.
"Remedying this requires a multilateral political process aimed at achieving a just and peaceful solution. One based on international law and relevant United Nations resolutions," Shahid said. "We must continue to push for a return to constructive negotiations between the parties to resolve the complex issues." Enditem
Abdulla Shahid, president of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), addresses the UNGA plenary meeting on the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East at the UN headquarters in New York, Dec. 1, 2021. Abdulla Shahid on Wednesday emphasized the need for action rather than words to bring a resolution to the Palestinian question. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)
