Geneva - Media & Communication Dept. - March 26

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have called on all countries to complete the measures of their recognition of the State of Palestine, take a collective and urgent measure to reach an enduring solution that ensures the establishment of an independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The GCC states stressed that these measures are essential to spare the Palestinians the plight of destitution, genocide and human tragedy and ensuring the return of refugees, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and international legitimacy resolutions, emphasizing the importance of accelerating the issuance of a decision by the UN Security Council to complete the recognition of the independent State of Palestine and regain the fulsome membership in the United Nations.
This came in the statement delivered by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the UN Office in Geneva Dr. Hind Abdulrahman Al Muftah on behalf of the GCC states in her capacity as chair of the Gulf Group during the general debate on agenda item seven on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories within the framework of the 55th session of UN Human Rights Council.
The statement condemned the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, affirming that the GCC states stand with the Palestinian brothers during the current developments unfolding in the Gaza Strip and its vicinity, calling for an immediate ceasefire and the Israeli military operations. They held Israel legally responsible before the international community for its constant violations and assaults that targeted the innocent civilians and resulted in killing and displacing thousands of them in the Gaza Strip, most of them women and children, as well as the Israeli flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.
The GCC states expressed their shock as they witness the widening famine and destruction of local food production systems in Gaza, pointing out this situation squarely arises from the intentional violations carried out by Israel. They affirmed that these violations have deprived the Palestinians from food and targeted the relief convoys and civilians who are still in desperate need for humanitarian assistance, the statement reads.
The Israeli occupation did not heed the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued on Jan. 26 which called on Israel to enforce temporary measures to prevent genocide against the Palestinian people, and instead remained intransigent with respect to the policy of non-compliance with the international laws and conventions, as well as the UN resolutions, the statement pointed out.
The statement indicated that the Israeli occupation endorsed a decision to build nearly 3,500 new settlement units in the West Bank in a new attempt to Judaize a large swath of the West bank and Jerusalem, expressing the GCC states condemnation of this decision, underscoring their firm position on the centrality of the Palestinian cause, ending the Israeli occupation and supporting the sovereignty of the Palestinians over all Palestinian territories that have been occupied since June 1967.