{"id":190164,"date":"1976-04-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T22:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?p=190164"},"modified":"2021-10-20T19:01:33","modified_gmt":"2021-10-20T23:01:33","slug":"auto-insert-190164","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/auto-insert-190164\/","title":{"rendered":"CEIRPP meeting – Press release"},"content":{"rendered":"
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U N I T E D    N A T I O N S<\/p><\/div>\n

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Press Section<\/p><\/div>\n

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Office of Public Information<\/p><\/div>\n

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United Nations, N.Y.<\/p><\/div>\n

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(FOR USE OF INFORMATION MEDIA — NOT AN OFFICIAL RECORD)<\/p><\/div>\n

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Committee on Rights of                               Press Release GA\/PAL\/17<\/p><\/div>\n

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 Palestinian People                                  22 April 1976<\/p><\/div>\n

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13th Meeting (AM)<\/p><\/div>\n

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PALESTINIAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE HEARS STATEMENTS BY TUNISIA,<\/u><\/p><\/div>\n

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LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES AND CUBA<\/u><\/p><\/div>\n

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     The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, continuing its general debate, heard statements this morning by the representatives of Tunisia, the League of Arab States, and Cuba. The representative of the League of Arab States spoke as an observer.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Before adjourning the meeting so that the Committee could continue its<\/p><\/div>\n

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closed informal discussions, the Chairman, Medoune Fall (Senegal), in response<\/p><\/div>\n

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to a question by the representative of Tunisia as to when the informal discussions would be ended and the work of the Committee taken up in publicmeetings, said that the Committee should discuss this point during its closed session this morning.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Statements Made<\/u><\/p><\/div>\n

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     RACHID DRISS (Tunisia), referring to recent demonstrations by Christian<\/p><\/div>\n

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and Moslem Palestinians against the discriminatory expropriatory measures<\/p><\/div>\n

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of the Israeli authorities for the benefit of the Jewish population, asked<\/p><\/div>\n

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how anyone could fail to understand why these people refused to give up their<\/p><\/div>\n

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homes and land for perpetual refugee status.  The Palestinians had never<\/p><\/div>\n

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given up their fundamental and inalienable rights, and it was only by fully<\/p><\/div>\n

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realizing these rights that a definitive solution to the 30-year situation<\/p><\/div>\n

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in the Middle East could be found, he said.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Seeking a solution through the recognition of Israel was a "simplistic"<\/p><\/div>\n

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view which failed to take account of the profound causes of the Palestinian<\/p><\/div>\n

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tragedy, he went on.  How could Israel and its allies continue to call for<\/p><\/div>\n

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this recognition when Israel continued to appropriate additional Palestinian<\/p><\/div>\n

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land and to establish new Israeli settlements, he asked.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Security Council resolution <\/span>242 (1967)<\/a>, adopted in the aftermath of the<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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1967 war, was based on a defective equation: that peace depended on recognition, evacuation of occupied lands, and a solution to the refugee problem, Mr. Driss said.  This equation left out the fourth and most essential element to peace in the Middle East, that of the fate of the Palestinian people themselves, he declared.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Referring to the recent municipal elections in the West Bank, he said<\/p><\/div>\n

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that the Palestinian people had awakened world public opinion to this<\/p><\/div>\n

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fact and to the true intentions of Israel.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Likening the situation in Palestine to that in Namibia and Rhodesia,<\/p><\/div>\n

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he said that the Palestinians had no choice but to continue their liberation <\/p><\/div>\n

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struggle.  However, he went on, the situation in the Middle East was<\/p><\/div>\n

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more complex than other colonial situations because the United Nations,<\/p><\/div>\n

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troubled by the "Jewish problem" at the end of the Second World War, had<\/p><\/div>\n

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partitioned Palestine on racial and religious criteria, thus satisfying<\/p><\/div>\n

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the Zionists, but creating problems for the non-Jews which led to four<\/p><\/div>\n

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wars in the area.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Speaking of Israel's military arsenal, which he said was one of the<\/p><\/div>\n

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more sophisticated in the world, he said that it was about to be increased<\/p><\/div>\n

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by the acquisition of nuclear arms.  This would not lead to security,<\/p><\/div>\n

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however, he warned, because others could acquire similar weapons and,<\/p><\/div>\n

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besides, the Middle East was such a small area that the danger from such<\/p><\/div>\n

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weapons was equal for all.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     For these reasons, a solution to the problem had to lie in the establishment of a secular and democratic??? State, with co-habitation of the peoples of the area on a non-discriminatory basis which was the spirit of<\/p><\/div>\n

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the United Nations Charter.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Referring to a proposal before the Security Council last January, he<\/p><\/div>\n

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said that this document contained the basis for a Middle East peace, recognizing the rights of the Palestinians, calling for the establishment of a<\/p><\/div>\n

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sovereign State in Palestine and the withdrawal of occupying forces along<\/p><\/div>\n

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with necessary guarantees for maintaining the peace.  However, Mr. Driss<\/p><\/div>\n

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said, the draft resolution had not passed because of one vote out of 15.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     While the Committee was considering a two-phase programme of return<\/p><\/div>\n

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for the Palestinian refugees for practical reasons, he said, it should not<\/p><\/div>\n

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lose sight of the principles involved and contained in General Assembly<\/p><\/div>\n

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resolution <\/span>194 (III)<\/a> which was the key to a just solution.  Referring to<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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General Assembly resolution <\/span>181 (II)<\/a>, the representative of Tunisia said<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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that, despite drawbacks to this resolution, it should not be ignored by the<\/p><\/div>\n

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Committee because that resolution contained the juridical support and legal<\/p><\/div>\n

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framework for the solution.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The Committee, in making its recommendations, should emphasize that<\/p><\/div>\n

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Israel should immediately cease its transfer of property from Palestinians,<\/p><\/div>\n

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and that as soon as the first phase of the two-phase return is completed<\/p><\/div>\n

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the United Nations should provide economic and technical assistance proportional to the sufferings of the Palestinians.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Even a solution based on resolution 181 would not resolve all the<\/p><\/div>\n

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problems, but it would establish a foundation for peace and co-habitation of<\/p><\/div>\n

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the peoples of the area, something that was in the interests not only of the<\/p><\/div>\n

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region but of mankind as a whole, he concluded.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     AMIN HELMY II (League of Arab States), speaking as an observer,<\/p><\/div>\n

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recalled that the United Nations had been established to insure peace and<\/p><\/div>\n

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security which had been shattered by World War II, and had been based on,<\/p><\/div>\n

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among other things, the principles of self-determination, independence and<\/p><\/div>\n

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sovereignty for all peoples.  While this had been achieved in many places,<\/p><\/div>\n

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universality had not yet been established: Palestine, Namibia, Zimbabwe,<\/p><\/div>\n

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and others were still not Members of the Organization.  Of all of these<\/p><\/div>\n

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cases, he said, that of Palestine was the most serious because not only<\/p><\/div>\n

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were the people deprived of their inalienable rights but also of their<\/p><\/div>\n

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homes and land.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The United Nations, he said, bore a great responsibility for this<\/p><\/div>\n

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tragedy because of two mistakes it had made: the Partition Plan and the<\/p><\/div>\n

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admission to membership of Israel, an aggressor State.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The Partition Plan had ceded most of the land area including most of<\/p><\/div>\n

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the fertile land to the European Jewish settlers, but, despite this original<\/p><\/div>\n

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injustice, the Zionists had continued to expand their State at the expense<\/p><\/div>\n

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of the Arabs, he said.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The United Nations, realizing the tragic implications of its Partition<\/p><\/div>\n

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Plan, had recognized the right of the refugees to return to their homes<\/p><\/div>\n

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in resolution 194 (III), but Israel openly flouted this resolution, he<\/p><\/div>\n

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said, adding that, despite Israel's "illegal, irresponsible position", it<\/p><\/div>\n

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was admitted to membership, a fact he termed the second mistake the United<\/p><\/div>\n

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Nations made in handling the situation.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     For the first 20 years, the United Nations did not address itself to<\/p><\/div>\n

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the real problems in the area — that of the refugees and of Israel's<\/p><\/div>\n

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flouting of various United Nations resolutions — so that the situation<\/p><\/div>\n

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continued to deteriorate and the Organization finally realized that it<\/p><\/div>\n

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could not treat the Palestinian people through its humanitarian offices<\/p><\/div>\n

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only, and in General Assembly resolution <\/span>3236 (XXIX)<\/a> began to address<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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itself to the core of the problem, the restoration of the inalienable rights<\/p><\/div>\n

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of the Palestinian people, he said.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The task before the Committee was complex, he said, because of Zionist<\/p><\/div>\n

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intransigence, but a solution was feasible because of the international<\/p><\/div>\n

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consensus recognizing the rights of the Palestinians, calling for equal<\/p><\/div>\n

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participation by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in all inter-<\/p><\/div>\n

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national peace efforts as recognition of the fact that these rights were<\/p><\/div>\n

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inseparable from any lasting peace in the area.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The Security Council, he went on, should establish machinery to insure<\/p><\/div>\n

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that the rights of the Palestinians were protected, and it should empower<\/p><\/div>\n

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that machinery with the necessary authority to enable it to function effectively.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     RICARDO ALARCON DE QUESADA (Cuba) said that the Committee had been give<\/p><\/div>\n

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precise guidelines by the General Assembly on the inalienable rights of<\/p><\/div>\n

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the Palestinians and that the Committee's task was to organize a specific<\/p><\/div>\n

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programme of action within these guidelines.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     He was sure that the Committee's working group would come up with such<\/p><\/div>\n

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a programme, he said, but he was equally sure that obstacles would be<\/p><\/div>\n

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raised to any such programme by the forces of imperialism and colonialism.<\/p><\/div>\n

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For this reason, the peoples of Africa, Asia, and South American saw their<\/p><\/div>\n

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own struggles mirrored in the Middle East, he said, making references to<\/p><\/div>\n

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recent improvements in the relations between Israel and South Africa.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     The obligation of the Security Council and its permanent members was<\/p><\/div>\n

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clear, the representative of Cuba said: to ensure that Israel and its allies<\/p><\/div>\n

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implemented the relevant United Nations resolutions on the question.<\/p><\/div>\n

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     Calling for equal participation of the PLO in all peace efforts, he<\/p><\/div>\n

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said that the forces of imperialism were trying to isolate that organization <\/p><\/div>\n

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through manipulation of public opinion in the capitalistic countries.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The United Nations, in its turn, should mobilize world public opinion and<\/p><\/div>\n

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strengthen international solidarity with the Palestinian people through<\/p><\/div>\n

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co-operation with various trade union, economic, and social organizations<\/p><\/div>\n

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within the countries supporting the Zionists, he concluded, calling for<\/p><\/div>\n

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the next session of the General Assembly to be the turning point for such<\/p><\/div>\n

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a "truly universal effort".<\/p><\/div>\n

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* *** *<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U N I T E D    N A T I O N S Press Section Office of Public Information United Nations, N.Y. (FOR USE OF INFORMATION MEDIA — NOT AN OFFICIAL RECORD) Committee on Rights of                               Press Release GA\/PAL\/17  Palestinian People                                  22 April 1976 13th Meeting (AM) PALESTINIAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE HEARS STATEMENTS BY TUNISIA, LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2625],"document-source":[1753],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1749],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-190164","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-meeting-record","document-source-ceirpp","document-subject-palestine-question","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/190164","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/190164\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190164"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=190164"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=190164"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=190164"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=190164"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=190164"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=190164"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=190164"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}