The Palestine National Council Speaker Saleem Al- Za’noon praised the Irish Senate’s vote on a bill that would punish anyone who imports or assists in importation, sale of goods or services of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

 In a letter addressed to Irish Senate Speaker Dennis O’Donovan, AL Za’noon praised the brave stance expressed by the Council members in support of rights of the Palestinian people and rejection of Israeli occupation and colonization, which is contrary to international law and relevant resolutions of international legitimacy.

 Speaker AL Za’noon stressed the strength of bilateral relations between Palestine and its people with the Irish government, parliament and people. Ireland was one of the first countries in the European Union to call for the establishment of the state of Palestine and all Irish governments continued their unlimited support for the Palestinian people. AL Za’noon greatly appreciated these firm stances towards the Palestinian cause, which has a special place in the conscience of the Irish people.

 Speaker AL Za’noon expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Irish senators who resisted pressure, sent a strong message and a principled rejection of the colonial occupation policy in all its forms and shapes. The rest of world parliaments, especially the European ones, should follow the footsteps of the Irish Senate, which refuses to be a partner in crimes of occupation, siding, in deeds not in words, with the Irish people’s values in defending the rights and rejecting continuation of injustice.

 AL Za’noon stressed in his letter that this advanced and courageous step of the Irish Senate reflects the conscience of the Irish people and actual translation of their constant support and firm solidarity, considering it a prelude and practical action to besiege and isolate the colonial settlement and apartheid policy in Palestine on the road to ending the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian people gaining of freedom to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Amman, July3, 2018 (WAFA)- The Palestine National Council (PNC) affirmed that the payment of allowances to the families of detainees, martyrs and wounded is a legal obligation and a national duty to provide protection and care to them. They are victims of the Israeli occupation’s terrorism, which transformed the Fourth Geneva Convention from the Convention for the protection of civilians in time of war into another one for the protection of its soldiers.
The Council explained, in a parliamentary memo sent by its chairman Saleem AL-Za’anoon to various international and regional parliamentary associations and concerned institutions, the dimensions and risks of the law approved by the Israeli Knesset on 2/7/2018 to deduct funds transferred to Palestine state that go to the families of Palestinian prisoners and martyrs.
Speaker AL-Za’anoon pointed out that this law, which came days after the US administration’s decision to freeze its financial aid to Palestine, is contrary to international and humanitarian laws, financial piracy and organized political terrorism practiced by the Israeli government, and comes in the context of the war of financial sanctions on the Palestinian people and the State of Palestine which refuse to accept the deal of the century.
In its memorandum, the Council appealed to countries of the world to shoulder their responsibilities towards the Palestinian prisoners and respond to the campaigns of incitement and systematic punitive measures led by the occupying state against them and end half a century of occupation.
The National Council called upon the international institutions to compel the occupation to comply with the rules of international law, immediately abolish its racist legislation, commit to pay the families of the prisoners, as the vast majority of the detainees are the main supporters of their families to compensate the value of what the occupation has stolen from the allowances and salaries of prisoners over the past fifty years.
The Council called on the US administration to stop the legislation of the Congress, which identifies with the legislation of the Knesset, reveals the extent to which the American and Israeli administrations are hostile to the aspirations, goals and dignity of our people, especially the martyrs, prisoners, the wounded and their families, and to consider their legislation as a serious violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and other international conventions.
The memorandum included an explanation of this violation of Israel’s obligations as the “Detaining Power” in relation to the allowances of the prisoners, provided for in Articles 81 and 98 of the Fourth Geneva Convention under which the “ Detaining Power” shall support and provide medical care, to those detained persons who are entitled to receive subsidies from their state, as well as its duty to hand over all detainees regular allowances to enable them to purchase basic necessities.

The Palestine National Council Sunday reaffirmed the indienable  national rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to return to their homeland and to establish of an independent and sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with relevant international resolutions.

 In a press statement, the Council stressed rejection of any proposal or plan that does not guarantee the return of Palestinian refugees to their land and properties and ending of the Israeli occupation of the entire territory of the Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital which was recognized by the UN General Assembly in 2012.

             The Council slammed the US regional tour that are currently underway in an attempt to pass deals to resolve the Palestinian issue, stating that such deals which are not based on international references adopted by the UN and its institutions will not succeed and will not be accepted by the Palestinian people and their leadership. The Council stressed that the PLO headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, will confront such proposals and plans, reiterating that the establishment of the state of Palestine and the return of refugees are the guarantee for security and peace in the region.

             In the meantime, the Council rejected all attempts and plans to separate the Gaza Strip, which it constitutes an integral part of the state of Palestine, stressing that all such plans are doomed to fail, holding the Israeli occupation fully responsible for the continued blockade on Gaza and suffering of its people.

The Trump administration, in the context of US clumsy policy, will transfer its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, despite its prior knowledge of the implications of this step, of total disregard for the principles and rules of international legal bodies represented by the United Nations and its affiliated organizations, as well as the decisions and positions of all regional organizations. In this step the American administration is excluding itself from the framework of the international consensus, international legitimacy and even the positions of successive US administration in this regard to become a single, outcast and even rogue state.

The Palestine National Council recalls when Israel illegally declared the west part of Jerusalem its capital since 1950, then in August 1980, it annexed the eastern part of occupied Jerusalem, considering the two parts as its unified capital, the US administrations rejected these actions and did not recognize these unlawful measures regarding them null and void. Since Israel flagrantly violated Resolution 181 (2) of 29/11/1947, which provided for the conversion of Jerusalem and its environs, into an independent status as a separate entity (corpus separatum), as well as UN Security Council resolution 478 of 1980, which considered all administrative and legislative measures taken by Israel, which would lead to a change in the legal status of Jerusalem invalid procedures and of no legal validity.

This rogue step makes the US administration more biased towards the aggressor and the Israeli occupiers, while ignoring the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people guaranteed, protected under the international law and successive resolutions of international legitimacy.

What is to be noted is the lack of recognition, arrogance and unilateralism by the US administration of the nature of the blow that was directed at it in late December 2017 by the countries of the world, including those known to be loyal to it. It was not only isolated in the Security Council but also in the General Assembly held on 21 December 2017, where 128 states voted in favor of resolution 22.l/10- A/ES. which decided that any change in the city of Jerusalem, its status or composition was null and void, had no legal effect whatsoever. The decision which considered a blow to the US President Donald Trump’s declaration to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The National Council stresses that the insistence of Trump administration on the transfer of the American Embassy to Palestinian territories occupied by Israel represents a justification and legitimization of the gains of occupation, which are rejected by United Nations law, principles and rules of contemporary international relations, which affirm the principle of the obligation of all states not to recognize the occupation’s gains of territory of others by force. Thus, Trump is a partner, protector and supporter of Israel, which remains and will continue to be an occupying power, contrary to international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, in its settlement policy and to successive resolutions of international legitimacy including Security Council resolution 2334 of 23 December 2016.

The National Council reaffirms that the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem is further evidence that the US administration is a state that violates international law governing relations between states. It acts inspired by the illusion of hegemony and dictate on peoples and countries of the world. It does not hesitate or refrain from using the policies of intimidation and exerting pressure even using coercion with states and international organizations, by financial extortion, as if the world and the nations a commodity for sale and purchase, Thus the practices of the American administration are now a serious threat to international peace and security.

The 138th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,


(1) Recalling the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, including resolutions 181 (II) (1947), 242 (1967), 252 (1968), 298 (1971), 446 (1979), 465 (1980),
478 (1980), 1322 (2000), 2334 (2016), United Nations General Assembly resolutions and other relevant international documents,

(2) Taking note of the final communiqué and resolutions adopted by the Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference and the Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held in Istanbul on
13 December 2017 and the Istanbul Declaration on “Freedom for Al-Quds”,

(3) Rejecting any unilateral decisions dealing with any changes to the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly and other international covenants dealing with the legal status of the city of Jerusalem, whether through governments of States or the Israeli occupation or otherwise,

(4) Deploring and condemning the announcement by the US Administration of the transfer of its Embassy to occupied Jerusalem by mid-May, which coincides with the anniversary of the Nakba (15 May 1948),

(5) Reaffirming its support for the right of the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle to end the Israeli occupation and to regain their rights to return and establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital,

1 Renews its solidarity with and support to the Palestinian people in defending their just cause and their legitimate rights, including their historical and rooted rights in Jerusalem, guaranteed by the relevant resolutions of international legitimacy;

2 Supports all legal and peaceful steps taken by the Palestinian leadership at the national and international levels to consolidate the sovereignty of Palestine over the Holy City of Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian Territory;

3 Affirms its absolute rejection in its entirety of the recent US Administration’s decision regarding Jerusalem and considers it null and void under international law;

4 Calls upon all parliaments to urge their governments to recognize the State of Palestine along the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital in accordance with UN resolutions;

5 Reaffirms that all legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel to impose its law and measures on Jerusalem are illegal and have no legitimacy;
A/138/9-DR

6 Demands that Israel cease all settlement-building activities and any other measures aimed at altering the status, character and demographic composition of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around Jerusalem, all of which have a detrimental impact on the human rights of the Palestinian people and on the prospects for a peaceful settlement;

7 Expresses grave concern at the restrictions imposed by Israel to impede access by worshippers to the holy sites in Jerusalem;

8 Calls upon international organizations to take the necessary steps to preserve and maintain the historical heritage of Jerusalem;

9 Emphasizes the necessity of supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to carry out aid programmes for the relief of the Palestinian refugees in line with UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) of December 1949;

10 Encourages the relaunch of the peace process through a multilateral initiative in accordance with United Nations resolutions to achieve the existence of a two-State solution on the basis of the 1967 borders.

The Palestine National Council (PNC) condemned the series of racist laws approved by the Israeli Knesset and its various committees, which comes in the context of legitimizing the occupation and perpetuating its racist regime.

            The Council confirmed that the Israeli Knesset has become a full partner in all crimes of the occupation and terrorizing our people and their land, exert pressure, blackmail and distort the struggle of our people through the law of theft and piracy of Palestinian tax revenues and allocations of the families of martyrs and prisoners in Israeli jails.

            The National Council considered that the Israeli Knesset’s adoption of what is known “ the law of extraditing the bodies of the martyrs “ is a new crime to be added to the crimes committed by the occupation authorities against the Palestinian people for violations of the Geneva and Hague Conventions which apply to the occupied Palestinian territories since 1967.

            The Council stressed that the Knesset approval , in its second and third readings, of  the draft law on the revocation of residency permits of Jerusalemites Palestinians, under the pretext of carrying out operations against Israel, was an attack on international law, international humanitarian law, aims at evacuating the Palestinians from the occupied city of Jerusalem, where the number of Jerusalemites whose residency has been withdrawn since 1967 so far more than 15 thousand Palestinian citizens.

The Council confirmed that the approval by the Israeli ministerial committee of legislation of a bill that includes depriving the Palestinians of the Israeli Supreme Court, especially in cases related to the confiscation of their land and stealing them in favor of the settlers, aims to legitimize this colonial settlement policy.

            The Council called upon all parliamentary associations and relevant human rights organizations to condemn and reject the policy of the Israeli Knesset and to take decisive and deterrent measures against this parliament, which claims democracy and at the same time, continues to issue such laws that violate human rights, and international conventions. Such policy violates all international legitimacy decisions relevant to the Palestinian cause.