STATEMENT BY

HIS EXCELLENCY MR. AHMAD FAISAL MUHAMAD

 

RAPPORTEUR OF THE

COMMITTEE ON THE EXERCISE OF THE INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

INTRODUCING THE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE

TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

 

Question of Palestine

80th session of the General Assembly

 

2 December 2025

 

 

Madam President,

Excellencies,

 

Allow me, first, to thank esteemed Delegations for their dedication to the question of Palestine, including for their support during the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution; the endorsement of the “New York Declaration”; as well as, the GA vote on the UNRWA resolution on 19 November. 

 

The Committee also welcomes the adoption on 17 November of Security Council resolution 2803 (2025) concerning the Gaza Strip and calls on all parties to respect the ceasefire and comply with its implementation and their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, most notably with regard to the protection of civilians.

 

The Committee also appreciated the high turnout of delegates and civil society at the meeting in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People held at UNHQ on 25 November. We express our gratitude to Member States and international organizations for the 44 messages of Solidarity received for the occasion. Similar successful events took place at UN of Geneva (UNOG), UN of Nairobi (UNON) and UN of Vienna (UNOV).

 

As part of the commemoration of Solidarity Day, we invite Member States to attend the screening of the film “The Voice of Hind Rajab” telling the devastating story of a Palestinian girl trapped and dying under Israeli military fire, and the first responders who tried to save her. The screening will take place on 4 December at 1:15 p.m. at the Trusteeship Council Chamber, to be followed by a panel discussion with the film director, actor and producers at 3:00 p.m. Additional information can be found on the Committee’s website: www.un.org/unispal

 

It is now an honour, in my capacity as Rapporteur of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, to present the Annual Report of the Committee, contained in document A/80/35. The report covers developments relating to the Question of Palestine as well as the work of the Committee between 2 September 2024 to 31 August 2025.

 

The report is organized in seven chapters.

 

Chapters I and II contain the introduction to the report and a brief overview of the major political developments during the reporting period. The referenced developments served as the context for the Committee’s evolving programme of work and activities during the reporting period.

 

Chapters III and IV outline the mandate entrusted to the Committee by the General Assembly and contain information on the organization of the Committee’s work during the year.

 

Chapter V features the work of the Committee, as well as the activities carried out on its behalf by the Division for Palestinian Rights, around four major aspects of its mandate: (i) mobilization of the diplomatic community; (ii) raising awareness on the question of Palestine; (iii) cooperation with inter-governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and UN entities; and (iv) capacity development.

 

Chapter VI reports on the activities of the special information programme of the Department of Global Communications on the question of Palestine.

 

The last and final Chapter VII of the report contains recommendations of the Committee to this Assembly and other relevant actors, which are based on the international consensus and the Secretary-General’s known position on the Question of Palestine, specifically:

 

• The Committee demands actions to address war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel in Gaza, including by investigating the weaponization of starvation as a method of warfare and other actions prohibited under international law.

 

• The Committee urges Member States to pressure Israel to lift the blockade and allow safe unimpeded access for UN agencies, including UNRWA and international aid organizations delivering food, water, medicine, fuel and other supplies essential for the survival of Palestinians and to stop any actions obstructing aid to the Palestinian people.

 

• The Committee calls on Israel to halt and reverse its ongoing annexation, home demolitions, settlement expansions and the forced displacement of Palestinians, including women and children. The Committee urges Israel to reverse punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority, cease the disproportionate use of lethal force and protect Palestinian civilians, including from Israeli settlers, in line with its obligations under relevant UN resolutions and international humanitarian law.

 

 

 

• The Committee calls on Israel to respect the status quo at the Holy Sites in Jerusalem, ensure peaceful religious practices and lift the ongoing land, air, and sea blockade of Gaza. The Committee deems unilateral decisions taken by Member States to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as null and void and urges Member States to officially recognize the State of Palestine in order to promote the two-State solution.

 

• The Committee calls for an immediate end to the excessive use of lethal force by Israeli forces and armed settlers against Palestinian civilians, including children, which has risen to alarming levels in 2025. It further calls on Israeli government officials to halt their provocations, rhetoric and incitement in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

 

• The Committee urges the General Assembly and the Security Council to ensure the implementation of the long-standing parameters for peace in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and calls on the Secretary-General to continue to leverage his good offices in support of a political horizon and the two-State solution. The Committee also calls on the General Assembly and Security Council to urgently implement the ICJ Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024,
  including through the adoption of modalities required to bring an end to the unlawful Israeli occupation.

 

• The Committee urges the Security Council to recommend admission of the State of Palestine as a full UN member, aligning with the broad international consensus and the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

 

• The Committee conveys its gratitude to the Division for Palestinian Rights of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs for its support for the Committee’s work.

 

Excellencies,

 

In closing, I would like to seek the support of my esteemed colleagues for the draft resolution on the “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine”, and for its adoption by the General Assembly.

 

Thank you, Madam President.