The Assembly reconfirmed the need to resolve the Palestine issue by peaceful means. It stressed the requirement for a permanent agreement based on the Palestinian right for self-determination, Israeli withdrawal and resolution of the refugee problem according to Resolution 194 (III), solution of the settlements issue and a change in the status of Jerusalem. This resolution was adopted by 149 for, 3 against, 2 abstentions and 34 absents. Text:
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 it has been more than fifty years since the adoption of resolution 181 (II) of 29 November 1947 and thirty-two years since the occupation of Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem, in 1967,
Having considered the report of the Secretary-General submitted pursuant to the request made in its resolution 53/42 of 2 December 1998,
Reaffirming the permanent responsibility of the United Nations with regard to the question of Palestine until the question is resolved in all its aspects,
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, 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,
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 subsequent redeployments of the Israeli army in the rest of the West Bank,
Noting with satisfaction the successful holding of the first Palestinian general
elections,
Noting with satisfaction also the signing of the Memorandum at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on 4 September 1999,
Noting the appointment by the Secretary-General of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of theSecretary-
General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, 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, including the donor meeting held at Tokyo on 14 October 1999,
Expressing the hope that the Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum will be fully implemented towards full compliance with the existing agreements and the conclusion of the final settlement by the agreed time of September 2000,
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, as well as the subsequent implementation agreements, including the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip of 1995 and the Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum of 1999, 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 takes note with satisfaction of 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 ensure the continuity and success of the peace process and its conclusion by the time agreed upon;
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.