U.N. Conference on Palestine Condemns Continuing Occupation

From September 13-15, the United Nations-sponsored International Conference of Civil Society in Support of the Palestinian People was held in New York. The theme of the conference was: “Ending the Occupation – a Key Requisite for Peace in the Middle East”.

In opening the conference U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: “The aim of this conference…is to provide civil society organizations from all regions of the world with an opportunity to: discuss the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem; coordinate their activities; and develop action-oriented proposals in support of the Palestinian people”. The conference took last July’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on the separation wall being constructed by Israel, as its focus. The ICJ ruled that the construction of the wall is in violation of international law.

Delegates decided to use the ICJ ruling as the basis of an international education campaign about the situation of the Palestinian people. Tactics such as boycotting Israeli products, linking with human rights groups operating within Israel and the occupied territories, and creating a space for discussion about the situation in the Middle East were some of the ideas discussed. The conference also learned that Palestinian representatives will be submitting a draft resolution on the wall to the U.N. General Assembly. For the first time the resolution will call for sanctions against Israel if it fails to comply with the ICJ ruling.

The conference adopted a plan of action for the coming year. This includes a focus on using international law and institutions such as the U.N. to support the Palestinian people in their struggle for national self-determination.

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