Israeli soldiers inspect a Palestinian car at the new Beit Ur al Fauqa military checkpoint, before allowing it to drive on road 443 in the West Bank, May 28, 2010. The road was reopened to Palestinian cars today after the Israeli High Court ruled that the closure to Palestinian cars was illegal. The road was built in the 1980's on expropriated Palestinian land. The road was closed in 2002 after a series of shooting attacks on Israelis. UPI/Debbie Hill |
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UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Israel is unable to distance itself from the mindset that it is occupying the Palestinian territories, the United Nations heard from a Palestinian envoy.
Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer from Palestine, told members of the United Nations that Israel was "unable and unwilling" to commit to the so-called two-state solution. The Israelis, he said, were making matters worse by using "arbitrary, irrational, fictitious and even racist pretexts to absolve itself of its legal responsibilities."
Mansour complained that more than 60 years have passed since the United Nations adopted a resolution that partitioned Palestine into two states, though the rights of the Palestinian people were still "flagrantly denied."
Meron Reuben, the Israeli representative to the United Nations, countered that any peace settlement in the region requires mutual recognition. The Palestinians, he added, must give up their quest to make the region exclusively Arab.
"To establish lasting peace, the Palestinian leadership must be clear about their ultimate aims," he said. "They must recognize Israel as the Jewish state for the Jewish people and turn away from messages of hatred and de-legitimization, in favor of educating future generations about peace and coexistence."
