CM/Res.785 (XXXV) RESOLUTION ON THE MIDDLE EAST QUESTION
The Council of Ministers of the Organization of Africa Unity meeting in its Thirty- fifth Ordinary Session in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from 18 to 28 June, 1980,
Having taken note of the report of the Secretary-General of the OAU on the development of the events in the Middle East, document CM/1049 (XXXV) and having carefully studied it,
Having heard the statement made by the various delegations on the Middle East question, and the statement of the representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization,
Pursuant to the principles and objectives of the OAU and the UN, and the common destiny of African and Arab peoples and their common struggle for freedom, progress and peace,
Recalling the consecutive resolutions of previous sessions of the OAU Summit Conference of Heads of State and Government and of the Council of Ministers on the Middle East and on the Palestinian question,
Further recalling the recommendations and decisions of the UN General Assembly, the Security Council, and the conference of the Non-Aligned Movement on the Middle East and Palestinian questions,
Following with great concern the explosive situation which prevails in the region owing to the continued Israeli occupation of Arab Lands, and its denial of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to return to their homeland, their right to self-determination and to establish their independent state on their soil, as well as Israel’s refusal to abide by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council resolutions, and its defiance of international legitimacy of the Declaration of Human
Rights by its continued aggression on the Lebanese territory and on Palestinian Refugee camps, while adopting policies of mass murders and discrimination against Palestinians,
Reaffirming its total support to the just struggle of the Palestinian people under the leadership of the PLO with a view to recovering all their legitimate national rights,
Noting with deep concern the collusion between Israel and the racist regime of South Africa, which could lead to the dangerous intensification of the policies of intimidation and discrimination against the people of Palestine and South Africa:
REAFFIRMS all previous resolutions of the Council of Ministers and its all- out and effective support to the struggle of the Palestinian People under the leadership of its sole legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO);
FURTHER REAFIRMS its support to Arab Front Line States and to the Palestinian people in their struggle for recovering their occupied lands and usurped rights;
STRONGLY CONDEMNS the Israeli aggressive schemes and its expansionist and racist policy as well as its disregard for the UN resolutions, attitude which thereby constitutes a serious threat to peace in the Middle East and in the World;
STRONGLY CONDEMNS Israel’s continued establishment of settlements in Palestine and on other occupied Arab Lands. Also condemns the Judaization of Jerusalem and making it the capital of Israel;
DEEPLY DEPLORES that Israel, as the occupying power, did not ensure the adequate protection of the civilian population in the occupied territories in accordance with the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians in war time (12 August, 1949),
REAFFIRMS the urgent and prime need to put an end to the prolonged occupation and to speed up Israel’s withdrawal from the Arab territories, including Jerusalem which it has been occupying since 1967;
CONDEMNS all the actions of Israel which violate the territorial integrity and independence of Lebanon;
STRONGLY CONDEMNS all actions contrary to the terms of reference and particularly the continued acts of violence preventing FINUL (United Nations Peace Keeping force in Lebanon) from carrying out fully its mission including that of ensuring the control of the territory up to the recognised international frontiers;
TAKES NOTE of the efforts made by African and other countries which provide troops to support FINUL and CALLS UPON all the countries, which can do so, to continue exerting pressure on the parties involved in order to enable the United Nations Peace Keeping Force to fulfill its mission without hindrance;
STRONGLY CONDEMNS the collusion between the Zionist racist regime of Israel and the racist regime in South Africa against African and Arab peoples and CALLS UPON, all Member States to strengthen their common struggle against the growing dangers of their collusion particularly in the field of nuclear energy, and AFFIRMS that the armed struggle against the racist regime of South Africa and occupied Palestine in the most effective means for putting an end to domination, expansion and control over the resources of African and Arab peoples;
APPEALS to all Member States to co-operate with the Special Committees of the General Assembly requested to investigate Israeli practices violating Human and Peoples’ Right in the occupied territories and work for the success of its mission.
IT FURTHER REQUESTS the Secretary-General of the OAU to co-ordinate efforts with the UN Secretary-General in following up the works of this Committee with a view to submitting a report on its activities to the Council of Ministers;
CONDEMNS all partial agreements and separate treaties which violate the recognised national rights of the Palestinian people, and which are in contradiction with the principles of a just and comprehensive solution of the Middle East issue, and impedes the establishment of a just peace in the area;
REAFFIRMS the right of the Arab Frontline States and the Palestinian people to full and permanent sovereignty over their territories, their wealth and natural resources, and consider all the measures taken by Israel and in violation to this sovereignty as illegal and void;
APPEALS to the international community to intensify its pressure on Israel at all levels to compel it to abide by the UN resolutions, and request the UN Security Council to take the measures liable to compel Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian and Arab lands, and enable that Palestinian people to exercise its national right in accordance with the recommendations of the Special UN Committee on the exercise of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people;
REQUESTS the Secretary-General of the OAU to follow the development of the issue and to report to the next Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of the OAU.