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Kuwait renews rejection of attempts aim to legitimize Israeli settlements

Representative to the UN Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi
Representative to the UN Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi
NEW YORK, Nov 20 (KUNA) -- Kuwait on Wednesday renewed is rejection of any endeavors aiming to legitimize the illegal Israeli settlements on all Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 including East Jerusalem.
This came in Kuwait's speech delivered by Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi on the Middle East region.
These efforts constitute a flagrant violation of the international law and the UN Security Council resolutions, mainly the resolution 2334, he said, adding that there are also an obstacle to peace.
He renewed that the Israeli settlements are null and void, and illegal, adding that they would not be an acceptable real matter.
He extolled the efforts by the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, reiterating his full support for the coordinator's endeavors to calm the situation in order to avoid confrontation, in light of the provocations and recent attacks carried out by the Israeli forces on the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Kuwaiti envoy condemned in the strongest terms the attacks on Gaza that led to the killing and the injuring of dozens of the unarmed Palestinian people.
He lauded the efforts exerted by Egypt aiming to help reach a ceasefire, and stop the Israeli attacks on civilians, residential areas and infrastructure.
Last Friday, some 170 UN members voted in the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly in favor of the decision to extend the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for further three years, he went to say.
Al-Otaibi pointed to basic services provided by the agency to about 5.5 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian land.
He expressed his pride, as Kuwait is one of the key partners of UNRWA, stating that the country donations hits USD 118 million over the past five years.
He affirmed that the issue of Palestinian refugees is the core of the Palestinian cause, pointing to responsibility of the Security Council to uphold the inherent and inalienable right of the generations of Palestinian refugees and their return to their homes from which they were displaced, in line with the resolutions of international legitimacy, mainly the General Assembly resolution 194.
He emphasized holding Israel the legal, political and moral responsibility as an occupying authority for the continuation of the Palestinian refugee problem.
He also stressed the rejection of any move by any party to drop the right of return or distort the issue of Palestinian refugees through attempts to resettle or liquidate UNRWA.
In addition, Al-Otaibi pointed to the Israeli attacks on the holy Islamic and Christian sites, the attempts aiming to change the demographic status of Jerusalem, the expansion of settlements and the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians that constitute a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law. (end) asf.hm