“ The views expressed by the authors on this page reflect their personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNA Canada.”
On November 29th the UN will once again be celebrating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The day was mandated by UN General Assembly Resolution 32/40 B of 1977. Since the UN was founded in 1945 – with the express aim of reducing or eliminating conflicts around the world – the Palestinian conflict, starting with the founding of Israel in 1948 has been one of the longest-lasting and most intractable conflicts which the UN has ever had to deal with. Much discussion and debate have taken place at the UN Security Council and General Assembly over the years and yet the Palestine matter is one of the issues about which the UN has been unable to reach an agreement since 1948.
After numerous formal and informal efforts over the decades to resolve issues between the Jewish and Arab peoples of the Middle East, the conflict has still not been resolved. Several wars have been fought on this land which is considered to be holy by three of the world’s most prominent religions, yet no permanent resolution to the conflict has ever been found. Many young people today fall short in recognizing the importance of the Palestinian conflict in the world’s current political and cultural atmosphere.
The conflict is clearly a highly political issue and many world leaders have tried to find a solution, but very few have paid much attention to the people actually living in the area. Talks of negotiations and deals have been in the works for decades, as well as several United Nations resolutions that were often ignored by one side of the issue. Although the United Nations is an international organization best known for trying to mediate conflicts politically, it is also an organization that is home to one of the world’s most impressive humanitarian and advocacy efforts. That is why in 1977 the UN General Assembly passed its resolution declaring November 29th of each year to be a day of solidarity with the Palestinian people. This day would remind the whole world of the plight of displaced Palestinians.
While an international day of observance may not, in the end, solve the Palestinian conflict, it does a lot of good. Dedicating such a day to show the UN’s commitment to the humanitarian aspects of the conflict has been important in keeping the Palestinian conflict relevant. Thanks to this day of observance, many young still know about it today. The date of November 29th has kept people all over the world remembering that there is still a very serious issue going on in Palestine. There are real people suffering, and there is still an urgent need for a solution.
Join in the effort to keep the Palestinian conflict front and centre before today’s generation of young people. Learn more about the issue. Educate yourself and people around you by following the links below and participate in the events held on November 29th by United Nations branches all over the world.
Sources
https://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/palestineremix/timeline_main.html
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/studentactivity/20090109gazahistory.pdf
https://israelipalestinian.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000031
About the Author
Raheil Inaim is a volunteer website writer for the United Nations Association in Canada–Vancouver Branch. A graduate of Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Art in Criminology, Raheil is interested in continuing a career as a writer. Raheil is Palestinian-Canadian; having lived in both countries for years at a time. The often-contradicting ideals of these two diverse countries have given Raheil a special perspective on global issues, which she enjoys sharing with the world.