Palestine
In his virtual address at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said 2021 marked the 73rd anniversary of the Nakba—the permanent displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. “More than half the Palestinian people were uprooted from their land and deprived of their property in that time,” Abbas noted.
Saying that many Palestinians still possessed deeds to their lands, which are part of the UN records, he said, “We have not been able to recover our properties due to Israeli laws that disregard international law and violate the UN resolutions.” Abbas pointed that Israel was “contravening” these laws by holding “court hearings to unlawfully and forcibly displace Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan in Jerusalem” and accused it of “ethnic cleansing.”
Furthermore, he observed that this year also marked 54 years since Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territories. “This occupation persists despite having concluded an agreement of principles—known as the Oslo Agreement—to achieve peace and mutual recognition with Israel in 1993,” he said.
Against this backdrop, Abbas said the international community had failed to hold Israel accountable and sanction it for its “violations of international law.” “There are still some countries that refuse to acknowledge the reality that Israel is an occupying Power, practising apartheid and ethnic cleansing,” he said, adding that this refusal has “emboldened” Israel to violate all UN resolutions.
Moreover, Abbas stressed that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the “legitimate and sole representative” of the Palestinians. The PLO is “committed to the unity of our people and land and to holding legislative and presidential elections.” Defending his decision to cancel elections in April, Abbas said it’s because Israel refused to allow voting in Jerusalem. “I have issued instructions to take the necessary measures to correct any wrongdoing and continue upholding the rule of law, the freedom of expression and human rights as the path our country insists to remain on,” Abbas said, referring to his waning popularity and the mounting criticism against his government.
Next, Abbas urged the UN Secretary-General to convene an international peace conference, in line with previous UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative, and under the “sole auspices” of the International Quartet—the UN, the United States, the European Union, and Russia. Additionally, Abbas warned that Israel “has one year to withdraw from the Palestinian territory it occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem.” If this is not achieved, “we will go to the International Court of Justice as the supreme international judicial body, on the issue of the legality of the occupation of the land of the Palestinian state,” Abbas said.
Lastly, Abbas called on Israel’s leaders to stop oppressing Palestinians and deprive them of their dignity. “We say once more: this is our land, our Jerusalem, our Palestinian identity, and we shall defend it until the occupier leaves,” he concluded.
Lebanon
Addressing the UNGA virtually on Friday, President Michel Aoun thanked UN Secretary-General António Guterres for his “contribution to the organisation of three conferences supporting the Lebanese people in the aftermath of the Beirut Port blast tragedy.” He also thanked the countries that helped Lebanon throughout its ordeal, particularly France.
Aoun hoped that the formation of a new government a year after the political crisis would usher in a period of positive change. “Lebanon has embarked on a new phase that would hopefully mark a promising step on the path of recovery,” he said. “Over the past two years, Lebanon has known its hardest times, whereas successive crises—some inherited and ramified and some urgent—exploded simultaneously, affecting all sectors,” Aoun added.
According to the World Bank, Lebanon’s economic crisis ranks as one of the worst the world has witnessed in over 150 years, and the country is facing severe food, medicine, and fuel shortages.
Amid this crisis, Aoun pleaded for greater international help to rescue Lebanon. “We rely on the international community to finance vital public and private sectors projects to revitalise the economic cycle and create job opportunities,” Aoun said.
Moreover, the Lebanese President discussed the maritime dispute between Israel and Lebanon. He condemned Israeli actions against Lebanon’s rights and demanded the resumption of indirect negotiations to resolve the dispute.
Aoun also talked about the Syrian and Palestinian crises and Lebanon’s efforts in vaccinating its citizens against COVID-19.
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Ethiopia
On Saturday, Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister (PM) and Foreign Minister (FM) Demeke Mekonnen told the General Assembly that Africa “continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic.” He added, “Unfortunately, Africa, with negligible vaccination rate, is left waiting for the drips from the surplus of others due to vaccine nationalism.” Mekonnen hoped that “countries with the means” would help the continent in this regard.
He noted that Ethiopia had embarked on a path towards democracy and ushered in “democracy, human rights, human development, and regional stability,” but said that certain groups “are making their best effort to create and prolong anarchy,” referring to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).
Mekonnen said these “lords of instability” instigated the violence that has resulted in an aggravation of “human suffering” in Ethiopia. “The criminal enterprise and its enablers created and advertised horrific imagery of faked incidents,” he added.
Accusing the “agenda-and-revenue driven media” of promoting falsehoods about Ethiopia, Mekonnen said the country is now facing coercive measures. “Ethiopia opposed coercive measures when it was applied against others, we advise against its application on 9 Ethiopia. Prescriptions and punitive measures never helped improve situations or relations,” he said.
Moreover, Mekonnen stated that Ethiopia has been “meeting out its obligation to fulfil humanitarian needs” and promoting dialogue to resolve the conflict. “Dialogue has always been our preferred course of action. Accordingly, Ethiopia is open to candid initiatives for peace,” he stressed, adding that “had it been for the plans of the internal and external destabilisers, Ethiopia would have turned into rubbles where the greedy and the archaic feast and thrive.”
The deputy PM also mentioned the border dispute with Sudan and said Ethiopia wants diplomacy to end the conflict. “Ethiopia stands ready to avail bilateral mechanisms and diplomatic solutions to resolve the border dispute with Sudan,” he said, adding, “It is incumbent upon our two governments to work for peace for the sake of our people that have the strongest bond of fraternity.”
Next, he expressed satisfaction with the progress of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and blamed countries for politicising the issue. Mekonnen said, “Our humble attempt to light the houses of millions of Ethiopians and create hope for our youth is politicised before global bodies.” He added, “The generational desire to use our natural resources will not be stopped by a colonial legacy and monopolistic cause.”
Egypt and Sudan fear that Ethiopia’s construction of a dam on the Blue Nile tributary will decrease their supply of Nile water, and diversion would lead to significant evaporation and water loss. Therefore, both countries oppose Ethiopia’s plans.
Sudan
In a pre-recorded statement, PM Abdalla Hamdok said Sudan’s transitional government continues to improve the establishment of the rule of law, promoting human rights, and bringing in economic reforms. “These programmes and these policies underpin a common goal, and that is building a safe and stable Sudan where everyone lives in peace, prosperity freedom and justice, as expressed in the slogans of the glorious revolution” in December 2019, which led to the ouster of former dictator Omar Al-Bashir.
Additionally, Hamdok stressed that Sudan is striving to improve security in the volatile Darfur region, which bore the brunt of the civil war initiated by Bashir in 2003.
The Sudanese PM also emphasised that his government has “rapidly lifted” constraints hindering aid delivery in conflict areas. He called on the international community to assist Sudan in addressing the refugee situation and local communities hosting them. “Sudan, given its geographical location, has witnessed a flow of refugees from neighbouring countries which are facing development, economic, security and political challenges,” he said.
Finally, he addressed the Nile dam dispute with Ethiopia. While rejecting “all unilateral measures” taken by Addis Ababa regarding the construction of the GERD, Hamdok said Khartoum is “ready to participate in any peaceful initiative bringing all parties together to reach an agreement in all parties’ interest.”