UAE and Palestine support.. Solid positions, not “sound phenomena”
The UAE, as host of the Arab Parliament Union’s Virtual Conference, confirms its continued historical support for the Palestinian people and their just cause.
Hosting the Emergency Parliamentary Conference is a link in the UAE’s ongoing efforts to defuse tension and seek objective and sustainable solutions to the current tensions in Jerusalem, ensuring the rights of the Palestinian people, protecting holy sites, preventing violations of the sanctity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, preventing the bloodshed of innocent people and stopping the escalation that is expanding.
Ongoing efforts reflect the United Arab Emirates approach, firm policy and firm commitment to support the Palestinian cause from its inception to today.
Immediate strong positions
Since the first moments of tensions in Jerusalem, the UAE has taken action at various levels to reduce the escalation and has announced strong positions in support of Palestinian rights.
Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyane, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the UAE Armed Forces, expressed concern over the violence in Occupied East Jerusalem, which resulted in the injury of a number of innocent civilians.
Sheik Mohammed ben Zayed Al Nahyane, while receiving Dr. Bashir al-Khasawna, the Jordanian Prime Minister, at the Beach Palace in Abu Dhabi last Monday, condemned all forms of violence and hatred that are incompatible with human values and principles.
He stressed the importance of ending the attacks and practices that lead to a state of tension and tension in the holy city, calling for stopping any practices that violate the sanctity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Since the first spark of tensions, and before they developed into the current situation, the UAE has been a leading advocate for de-escalation.
On 25 April, the United Arab Emirates expressed its grave concern at the violence in Occupied East Jerusalem, which was perpetrated by extremist right-wing groups and resulted in the injury of a number of civilians.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stressed its constant rejection of and condemnation of all forms of violence and hatred that are contrary to human values and principles.
The ministry called on the Israeli authorities to take responsibility for reducing the escalation and ending all attacks and practices that lead to a state of tension and tension.
It also stressed the need to preserve the historical identity of occupied Jerusalem, to calm down and to exercise maximum restraint in order to avoid the region drifting into new levels of instability and threats to peace.
On Saturday, when confrontations escalated in Jerusalem, UAE Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Murr expressed his country’s deep concern over the violent events in East Jerusalem, and strongly condemned the storming of Al Aqsa Al Sharif Mosque and the displacement of Palestinian families from the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood, which resulted in the injury of a number of civilians.
The United Arab Emirates strongly condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli authorities.
He stressed the need for the Israeli authorities to assume their responsibility in accordance with the rules of international law to provide the necessary protection for Palestinian civilians and their right to practice religious rites, as well as to stop any practices that violated the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
UAE Minister of State stressed the need to respect the role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the care of holy places, in accordance with international law and the historical status quo, and not to prejudice the authority and powers of the Department of Al-Quds Endowments and the affairs of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
He called on the Israeli authorities to shoulder the responsibility of de-escalation and put an end to all attacks and practices that perpetuate tension and congestion.
It was necessary to preserve the historical identity of occupied Jerusalem, to calm it down and to exercise maximum restraint, in order to avoid the region drifting into new levels of instability and threats to peace.
On Tuesday, Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, the diplomatic advisor to the UAE president, stressed that the UAE stands with the Palestinian right, with the end of the Israeli occupation, with the two-state solution, and with an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“Strong, clear, consecutive, and persistent positions reveal the UAE’s keenness on the Palestinian issue and offer logical and objective solutions based on a comprehensive approach that leads to defusing tensions and settling crises in accordance with the rules of international law.”
These positions are a message from the UAE that the peace treaty it signed with Israel last September 15 will not be at the expense of the Palestinian cause and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, but rather to support the cause.
The UAE’s pledge was confirmed by events and by its clear and strong position on the recent developments between Israelis and Palestinians.
Since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, tensions have been building around the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which has been aggravated by Israeli judicial decisions to expel several Palestinian families from the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
A Historic Commitment Not “Sound Phenomena”
Since its establishment, the UAE has played a prominent role in supporting the Palestinian people in their attempt to regain their legitimate rights; based on a realistic policy away from the sound phenomena strategy of the trading countries.
Any political speech by the UAE in any international or regional forum or through bilateral meetings or joint discussions will not be without emphasis on the centrality of the Palestinian issue to the UAE, the Arab and Islamic nation, warning of the consequences of not reaching a just solution to this issue, and stressing the unwavering commitment to support the Palestinian cause.
Last December, the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheik Khalifa ben Zayed Al Nahyane, in a message to the United Nations on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, reiterated the historic commitment to support the Palestinian people.
He said : “The Government and the people of the United Arab Emirates reiterate their permanent and historic commitment to support the brotherly Palestinian people in the realization of all their legitimate rights, as well as in conformity with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions.”
As part of its leadership efforts to support the Palestinian cause, the UAE delegation to the United Nations, in its capacity as Chairman of the Arab Group to the United Nations, presented on 27 January a statement on the Arab Group, demanding an end to the illegal practices that threaten the two-state solution on the 1967 borders and the creation of a suitable environment that allows a return to serious negotiations within a specific time frame to end the Israeli occupation and achieve a just and comprehensive peace.
The delegation stated that this necessarily and fundamentally requires the implementation of all relevant Security Council resolutions, especially Resolution No. 2334/2016 /, and the cessation of illegal measures that impede the peace process, foremost among which are settlement building and expansion activities, as well as the complete abandonment by Israel of any plans to annex Palestinian lands when It has devastating effects on the two-state solution.
“The Palestinian issue is the central and central issue for the Arab nation,” Dr. Anwar Bin Mohammed Gargash said in a speech at the 154th session of the Arab League Council of Arab States held at the foreign ministers’ level on September 9th. “The UAE confirms its firm position to support the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 4th of June 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with international legitimacy and the Arab peace initiative.”
He stressed that the peace treaty would not be at the expense of the Palestinian cause and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
Support at all levels
The UAE’s support is not limited to the political aspect only, but also includes humanitarian, health and development support, which is confirmed by the language of figures and documented by international organizations concerned with the Palestinian cause, and which is witnessed by all countries around the world.
The United Arab Emirates position in support of the Palestinian cause, which is one of the pillars of UAE foreign policy, cannot be overstated.
The total Emirati aid to Palestine during the period 2010 to date amounted to US$1.14 billion, of which UNRWA $254 million was provided.
The UAE is one of the largest donors to UNRWA to finance various sectors in the Palestinian territories.
The UAE has always proved to be a support in time of distress for Palestine. At the beginning of this year, it sent emergency relief aid to support 10,000 families in the Gaza Strip and provided 808 tons of relief aid.
In mid-March, a second shipment of 38,700 doses of Russian anti-coronavirus Sputnik-V vaccine was sent to the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Ministry of Health through the Rafah crossing.
The UAE sent 20,000 doses of the Russian anti-Cofed “Sputnik-V” vaccine to the Palestinian territories in February.
The aid came within the framework of the UAE’s continued commitment to support the Palestinian people and strengthen the efforts of medical personnel to combat the pandemic. The UAE has sent 3 medical aid planes carrying 36.6 tons, 10,000 coroners and 10 respiratory equipment, benefiting 36.6 thousand medical personnel.
