CM/Res.960 (XLI) RESOLUTION ON THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE
The Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity meeting in its Forty- first Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 25 February to 4 March 1985,
Recalling the resolutions adopted by the previous sessions of the Council of Ministers and the Assembly of Heads of State and Government on the problem of the Middle East and on the Question of Palestine,
Guided by the principles and purposes of the Charters of the Organization of African Unity and of the United Nations and by the common destiny against Zionism and Racism for the cause of freedom, independence and peace,
Recalling that the question of Palestine constitutes the very core of the Middle East conflict and that the PLO is the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,
Reiterating the relevant decisions of the OAU making the question of Palestine an Arab and African issue,
Conscious of the seriousness of the present situation resulting from the continued occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories by Israel, its refusal to respect the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations, its firm determination to establish settlements, in the occupied Arab territories, especially in Jerusalem, thus altering the geographical, demographic, cultural and social characteristics of Palestine,
Reaffirming the legitimacy of the struggle of the people of Palestine led by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to recover their land and exercise their national rights,
Further reaffirming that a just and lasting peace can only be achieved when the people of Palestine exercise their inalienable rights, particularly their right to return to their homeland, the recovery of national sovereignty, their right to self- determination and their right to establish an independent state on their territory,
Considering the recommendations adopted by the UN Special Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people,
Noting with grave concern that the alliance between the zionist regime of Israel and the racist regime of South Africa aims at intensifying acts of terrorism and genocide against the peopled of Palestine and South Africa:
REAFFIRMS all previous resolutions on the question of Palestine and reiterates its unwavering support for the people of Palestine led by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), their sole legitimate representative, and REAFFIRMS the right of the people of Palestine, to continue their struggle under all political and military forms as well as the use of all means to liberate their occupied territory and to recover their inalienable national rights; particularly the right to return to their homeland, the exercise of their right to self-determination and to establish an independent state in their territory;
STRONGLY CONDEMNS all maneuvers and formulae aimed at preventing the people of Palestine from exercising their right to self-determination, to achieve their national aspiration to return to their homeland and exercise their freedom and complete sovereignty;
STRONGLY CONDEMNS any initiatives, measures or agreement which do not take into account the aspirations of the people of Palestine and of their sole legitimate representative, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO); CONSIDERS null and void any agreement on the question of Palestine without the participation of the Palestine liberation Organization;
STRONGLY CONDEMNS the expansionist policies pursued by Israel and aimed at imposing a fait accompli in the occupied territories, also CONDEMNS the policy of expansion, establishment of settlement, expropriation of lands and the massive or individual extermination of people with a view to forcing them to emigrate, to modify the demographic characteristics of the territory, and expel the leaders of the people of Palestine, thinkers as well as other Arab people, especially the Lebanese people;
STRONGLY CONDEMNS Israel’s expansionist, colonialist, racist and terrorist actions against the Palestinian people as well as against the Lebanese people;
FURTHER CONDEMNS the collusion between the Zionist regime of Israel and the racist regime of South Africa and CALLS UPON all Member States to intensify their efforts to face the danger and to strengthen the struggle against Zionism, Racism and Imperialism. To this end, CALLS UPON the African States, and Members of the League of Arab States to include in the Agenda of all sessions the following item “Collusion between South Africa and Israel”;
CALLS UPON the international community to exert more pressure on Israel in all fields so as to compel it to conform to the charter of the United Nations and with the resolution adopted on the question of Palestine, EMPHASIZES the efforts deployed by the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the people of Palestine and CALLS UPON the Security Council to implement the recommendation of this Committee adopted by the General Assembly;
CALLS UPON the Security Council to take effective measures to guarantee the exercise by the people of Palestine of their national and inalienable rights recognized by the United Nations General Assembly and CONSIDERS that Security Council Resolution 242 of 22 November 1967 does not guarantee the
future of the Palestinian people and their inalienable right nor does it provide a basis for a just solution to the question of Palestine;
FIRMLY SUPPORTS the Arab Peace Plan adopted at the Twelfth Arab Summit held at Fez on 9 September 1982, as an important contribution to the search for a just, comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Middle East conflicts; and CALLS for the implementation of General Assembly Resolution 39/49 of 11 December 1984 on the holding of an International Peace Conference on the Middle East;
COMMENDS the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people for its efforts aimed at resorting the inalienable rights of the people of Palestine;
REQUESTS the OAU Secretary-General to follow the development of the question of Palestine and to report to the next Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of the Organization of African Unity.