Governments asked to make 'most generous efforts' to meet needs of Palestinian refugee agency.

Governments asked to make 'most generous efforts' to meet needs of Palestinian refugee agency

The Special Political Committee on 15 November adopted 11 resolutions related to the situation of Palestine refugees, including a text asking the General Assembly to urgently appeal to all Governments to make "most generous efforts" to meet the anticipated needs" of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Other proposed resolutions related to guaranteeing the legal and human rights of the refugees, their resettlement and housing, compensation for lost property, education, restoring the general ration, and financing of the Agency.

A financial report on UNRWA (A/40/13/Add. 1) said the Agency would need $157.4 million in cash for education, health and relief services in 1986. Estimated cash income for 1985 was $150.4 million, including special contributions of $13 million. Regular contributions for 1985 totalled only $137 million in cash, the lowest level in more than four years.

The draft urging generous contributions to UNRWA was approved by a recorded vote of 123 in favour to none against, with 1 abstention (Israel). By it, the Assembly would also direct attention to the continuing seriousness of UNRWA's financial position; note with "deep regret" that repatriation or compensation of refugees had not been effected, and that their situation continued to be a matter of serious concern; and reiterate its request that UNRWA headquarters should be relocated to its former site in Beirut as soon as practicable. Agency headquarters are now located in Vienna and Amman.

By the remaining drafts, the Special Political Committee recommended that the Assembly:

* Urge the Secretary-General, in consultation with UNRWA, to undertake effective measures to guarantee the safety and security and the legal and human rights of the Palestine refugees in all the territories under Israeli occupation in 1967 and thereafter. The Assembly would also hold Israel responsible for the security of the Palestine refugees in occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, and call upon it to fulfill its obligations as the occupying Power in that regard, in accordance with the pertinent provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.

It would call on Israel to release forthwith all detained Palestine refugees, including UNRWA employees, and to compensate UNRWA for the damage to its property and facilities resulting from the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. It would urge the UNRWA Commissioner-General to provide housing, in consultation with the Government of Lebanon, to Palestine refugees whose homes had been demolished or razed by the Israeli forces (96 to 2 (Israel, United States), with 28 abstentions).

By a vote of 91 to 17, with 18 abstentions, the Committee approved separately the inclusion of a preambular paragraph by which the Assembly would express its deep concern at "the lack of security for the Palestinian refugees in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967, including Jerusalem, resulting in scores of violent deaths, woundings, kidnappings, disappearances, evictions in the face of threats, explosions and arsons".

* Reaffirm the inalienable right of all displaced inhabitants to return to their homes or former places of residence in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, and call upon Israel to take immediate steps for the return of all displaced inhabitants, and to desist from all measures that obstruct the return of the displaced inhabitants, 'including measures affecting the physical and demographic structure of the occupied territories" (106 to 2 (Israel, United States), with 19 abstentions).

* Endorse the efforts of the UNRWA Commissioner-General to continue to provide humanitarian assistance as far as practicable, on an emergency basis and as a temporary measure, "to other persons in the area who are at present displaced and in a serious need of continued assistance as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities" (without a vote).

* Call upon Israel to abandon its plans and to refrain from the removal, and from any action that may lead to the removal and resettlement, of Palestine refugees in the West Bank and from the destruction of their camps (126 to 2 (Israel, United States), with no abstentions).

* Reiterate its demand that Israel "desist from the removal and resettlement of Palestine refugees in the Gaza Strip and from the destruction of their shelters" (126 to 2 (Israel, United States), with no abstentions).

* Ask the Secretary-General to take appropriate steps for the protection and administration of Arab property, assets and property rights in Israel, and to establish a fund for the receipt of income derived therefrom, on behalf of the rightful owners (103 to 2 (Israel, United States), with 23 abstentions).

* Emphasize the need to strengthen the educational system in the Arab territories occupied since 5 June 1967, including Jerusalem, specifically regarding the establishment of the proposed university at Jerusalem; request the Secretary-General to continue to take all necessary measures for establishing the University of Jerusalem, "Al-Quds"; and call upon Israel to remove the "hindrances which it has put in the way" of establishing such a university (126 to 2 (Israel, United States), with no abstentions).

* Strongly appeal to all States, specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations to augment special allocations for grants and scholarships to Palestine refugees; to contribute generously to the Palestinian universities and towards establishing vocational training centres; and to request UNRWA to act as the recipient and trustee for such special allocations and scholarships and to award them to qualified Palestine refugee candidates (126 to 0, with 1 abstention (Israel)).

* Request the UNRWA Commissioner-General to resume on a continuing basis the interrupted general ration distribution to Palestine refugees in all fields (105 to 19, with 3 abstentions (Austria, Portugal, Spain)).

* Note with approval the report of the Working Group on the Financing of UNRWA and request it to continue its efforts for another year for the financing of the Agency (without a vote).

UNRWA report

Among documents on Palestine refugees reviewed by the Speical Political Committee was the annual report (A/40/13) of UNRWA Commissioner-General Olof Rydbeck. Mr. Rydbeck retired on 31 October 1985 after six years of service, and was succeeded by Giorgio Giacomelli, an Italian national.

Mr. Giacomelli had been Director-General of Italy's Department of Cooperation and Development, which handles Italy's assistance programmes for developing nations. He has also served as Ambassador to Somalia from 1973 to 1976 and to Syria from 1976 to 1980. Born in Milan in 1930, he obtained a Law Degree from the University of Padua in 1953.

The Agency has the largest number of staff--17,000--mainly teachers and health workers, who provide education, health and relief servies to registered Palestinian refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Established by the General Assembly in 1949, the Agency's mandate is renewed periodically by the Assembly, most recently until 30 June 1987.

With regad to Lebanon, the Commissioner reported, the past year had again brought widespread suffering and hardship for tens of thousands of refugee families, many of whom had lost loved ones and had again experienced the destruction of their homes. All refugees had suffered disruptions of one kind or another and faced increasing difficulties in making a living.

As a result of the shelling of Ein el-Hilweh and Mieh Mieh refugee camps, in March 1985, both camps had suffered extensive damage and UNRWA schools had been closed. Some 60 refugees had been killed and 314 wounded. Another 40,000 people had been displaced from their homes. On 19 May, extremely heavy fighting had broken out again around Beirut. Violent clashes between Amal militiamen and Palestine refugees resulted in many deaths. There was widespread destruction in the Shatila and Burj el-Barajneh camps with an estimated toll of 635 dead and 2,500 wounded, the report stated. UNRWA once again had been called on to provide emergency assistance to large numbers of refugees. The programme of reconstruction had to be postponed because of the continuing hostilities.

The report of the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine (A/40/580) stated that the circumstances which had limited the Commission's possible actions to implement Assembly resolution 194 (III) of 1948 had remained essentially unchanged. It hoped that the situation in the region would improve, thus enabling it to carry forward its work.

Resolution 194 provides for the return of refugees to their homes "at the earliest practicable date" and for compensation for the property of those choosing not to return and for lost of or damage to property. The Conciliation Commission was instructed by the Assembly to facilitate the repatriation, resettlement and economic and social rehabilitation of the refugees and the payment of compensation.

The Secretary-General, reporting on population and refugees displaced since 1967 (A/40/614), said that Israel had stated that nearly 65,000 persons had returned to "Judea and Samaria" since 1967. The number of displaced registered refugees to the occupied territories since June 1967 stands at 10,725.

The Secretary-General's report on revenues derived from Palestine refugee properties (A/40/616) was submitted in pursuance of Assembly resolution 39/99 H, which asked the Secretary-General to take steps to protect and administer Arab property, assets and property rights in Israel, and to establish a fund for the receipt of income derived therefrom, on behalf of the rightful owners.

The Secretary-General said Israel had informed him that property rights within the borders of a sovereign State were exclusively subject to the domestic laws of that State. The right of the State to regulate and dispose of property within its territory was beyond question, and the United Nations had no competence to intervene, Israel said. Further, Arab States had not suggested at any time that similar steps should be taken by the United Nations with regard to confiscated Jewish property in Iraq, Syria, Jordan or any other Arab country, Israel pointed out. It added it had spent vast sums rehabilitating and developing derelict lands and property. In financial terms, no profit had been made and there was "no sense in giving the United Nations the role of rent collector".

The Secretary-General also reported (A/40/543) that Israel had stated that until "substantive clarifications" on its questions regarding the University of Jerusalem "Al-Quds" for Palestine refugees had been provided, it was "unable to help in taking this matter further". The Secretary-General said that in view of Israel's position, the feasibility study on the proposed university of arts and sciences could not be completed.

In another report (A/40/615) on Palestine refugees in the West Bank, Israel had informed the Secretary-General that its position on the matter had been setout in its statement to the Special Political Committee on 20 November 1984. In that statement Israel gave its view of the situation in that area. It also said the Special Political Committee was "hamstrung by an illegal and unjust mandate" and that many reports before it were "not reliable".

In the report on protection of Palestine refugees (A/40/756), the Secretary-General said taht the Israeli defence Forces had completed withdrawal from southern Lebanon in June 1985, and were now deployed along the international border. The UNRWA Commissioner-General had continued efforts "to do all that was feasible to contribute to the safety and security of the refugees in all occupied territories".

The Secretary-General also reported (A/40/766) that it had not been possible for the UNRWA Commissioner-General to consider resuming the general distribution of basic food rations, as requested by the Assembly in 1984 (resolution 39/99 F), as additional resources had not been forthcoming.

Debate

In the debate, in which there were 32 participants, Riyad Mansour of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said that examining the situation of Palestine refugees without a just solution to the political problem of Palestinians was an exercise in futility. Zionist terrorism was attempting to carry out the myth that Palestine was a land without a people for a people without a land.

The expulsion of the Palestinians from their land was a direct result of the Zionist aggression against the Palestinians' territories. The Palestinians had committed themselves to end the occupation, to return to Palestine and establish their own state under the leadership of the PLO.

The worsening situation and destruction of Palestinian camps made the "naive acceptance" of Palestinian "voluntary removal" completely unacceptable. The agonies of double shifts in schools were not enough for the Israeli occupation authorities, who had closed some schools completely for months.

Palestinians in Lebanon were still paying a heavy toll for the Israeli occupation. The PLO condemned Israel's refusal to pay UNRWA for loss and damage to its property caused by the invasion of Lebanon. UNRWA should use proper names for the occupied territories. The PLO supported the work of the Secretary-General and the Commissioner-General in attempting to obtain the necessary additional funding needed to avoid severe cuts in the Agency's services.

Joel Barromi (Israel) said the UNRWA report was not free from misrepresentations. It mentioned killings, looting and acts of violence generally without naming the parties responsible. UNRWA's budgetary crisis stemmed from reduction of its income. Arab League States which had contributed $18.4 million to UNRWA in 1981 would contribute $6.5 million in 1985--only 3.8 per cent of the total.

UNRWA had relinquished its initial aims under pressure from the Arab States and had been made to agree to a "spurious definition of Palestinian refugee" based on a previous residence in Palestine of only two years. Also, efforts to promote the economic integration of the refugees in their countries of residence had been shelved for political reasons. The United Nations had transformed the short-term relief operation into a "sprawling organization with multiplying expenditures" over an unlimited period of time, ignoring the real interests of the refugees. UNRWA's budgetary deficits should not be covered by stop-gap measures, but by revision of the Agency's scope of action, methods and practices.

After 1948, Israel had willingly taken the responsibility of absorbing and rehabilitating Jewish refugees, while Arab States had left the Arab refugees to the care of international charity. The Arab countries now constituted 21 States, some of them immensely wealthy. Many former refugees still listed on UNRWA's rolls had settled in those countries with remarkable economic success. Israel recognized the need to solve the Palestinian problem honourably, through diplomatic means.