Thank you Mr Chairman,
The Republic of Maldives would like to express its appreciation to the Special Rapporteur Mr Richard Falk for his report on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. The Maldives further welcomes the relevant reports of the Secretary General on this item and the recommendations they contain.
Mr Chairman,
The Maldives believes wholeheartedly in a two state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side and at peace. It is our hope that Palestine’s aspirations for self-determination and Israel’s for security is realized through a negotiated peace. It is with great hope, that we once again put faith in the peace process which was revived nearly three months ago.
Mr Chairman,
Unfortunately, abuses on the ground still continue. Like the numerous reports that have come before on this agenda item, this one highlights a new faucet of our complicity in inflicting abuse upon the Palestinian people. That so many reputable companies have contributed to the violation of basic human rights in the occupied territories is disheartening. That they have, in essence, facilitated the wilful destruction of Palestinian property and abuse of their rights is a travesty.
In order to counter this, the Special Rapporteur calls for an effective embargo of all business ventures which deal with settlements in the occupied territories. Given the legal difficulty of achieving such an embargo and the broad scope in which companies engaged in the territory, ranging from Foreign Direct Investment to the mere sale of a product, what is the potential for the success of this strategy?
I thank you Mr Chairman
