UAE renews support for peaceful solution to Palestinian issue
The UAE called on the international community to support vital sectors in Palestine, especially the health sector, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
The UAE renewed its support for a peaceful, comprehensive, and just resolution to the Palestinian question in line with relevant UN resolutions, the Madrid Principles, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the Quartet road map.
In a written statement submitted to the UN Security Council for the open debate on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, the UAE emphasised that its position stems from its belief in the collective responsibility to maintain regional and international peace and security, and its longstanding commitment to the Palestinian people.
The UAE recommended building upon the current international momentum to advance the Middle East Peace Process and leveraging the opportunities unlocked by the establishment of communication channels between Arab states and Israel. In this regard, the UAE stressed the importance of supporting regional and international efforts aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the Palestinian issue.
The UAE underlined the importance of building confidence between the parties, including halting unilateral measures to preserve the prospects for peace and to realise the two-state solution. The statement recalled how the signing of the peace agreement between the UAE and Israel in 2020 halted the annexation of Palestinian territory. The UAE also noted that the agreement would enable it to play a greater positive role in fostering peace and building a more stable and secure future for people in the region for generations to come.
Furthermore, the UAE called on the international community to support vital sectors in Palestine, especially the health sector in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The UAE has sent approximately 60,000 doses of the vaccine to the Gaza Strip this year, in addition to other urgent medical aid sent to the Palestinian people in 2020. The UAE also renewed its commitment to providing aid to the Palestinian people.
Additionally, the UAE pledged to continue working with all local and international partners to find a solution to the Palestinian issue that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. During the UAE’S membership on the Security Council in 2022-2023, the UAE will strongly support the Council’s efforts to achieve a lasting solution to the Palestinian issue.
Earlier, many Palestinians have commended the UAE’S move to provide the coronavirus vaccine to the Gaza Strip, in light of the long-imposed blockade that hinder the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines into the Strip.
In a statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Palestinian human rights activist Khalil Abu Shamala said that the Gaza Strip was witnessing a deterioration in the health sector, and over the past months, “the sector has faced great difficulties in facing the spread of the coronavirus.”
He stressed that the vaccine delivered from the UAE at this critical time strengthens the work of medical teams and the Ministry of Health and enabled them to deal with emergency cases.
“As far as we know, this is the first batch of vaccines, and the UAE will send other batches to the Gaza Strip,” he added.
Abu Shamala praised the UAE’S initiative and efforts to support the Palestinian health sector, specifically in light of the siege and severe deprivation in the Strip.
For his part, Salah Abdel Aty, Head of the International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights, expressed his thanks to the UAE for the medical supplies it has provided at this crucial time.
Speaking to WAM, he called on the international community to provide all necessary assistance to the residents of the Gaza Strip to confront the coronavirus pandemic and “reinforce the dilapidated health sector,” and to follow the UAE’S model in supporting the health sector and protect the Palestinian people from this pandemic.
Political analyst Nidal Khadra said that providing vaccinations is an important initiative that was preceded by various types of medical aid from the UAE. He explained that the UAE has always been and is still proactive in supporting the Palestinian people.
Dr. Nabil Al Katri, leader in the Democratic Reform Party in Fatah movement, said that the delivery of vaccines to Gaza comes as part of the national responsibility to rescue the besieged people in the Strip.