International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29/11)

On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the division of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. And 30 years later, on December 2, 1977, the UN General Assembly, by its resolution (A/RES/32/40), decided to annually celebrate November 29 as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Another, more common, name is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People — Solidarity Day.

The UN resolution on the division of Palestine recommended a plan to create a «Jewish state» and a «Arab state» in Palestine. The city of Jerusalem was established as a separate unit (corpus separatum), enjoying a special international regime. Of the two states, only one Israel was created within the framework of this resolution.

The Palestinian people, who currently number more than 8 million, live mainly in the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, including East Jerusalem, in Israel, in neighbouring Arab States, and in refugee camps in the region.

Today's date traditionally provides an opportunity for the international community to focus on the fact that the question of Palestine remains unresolved and that the Palestinian people have yet to exercise their inalienable rights to self-determination without outside interference, the right to national independence and sovereignty and the right to return to their homes and to return their property.

Back in 2005, the General Assembly asked the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Division for Palestinian Rights of the UN Secretariat, as part of the Day, to continue to organize an annual exhibition on the topic «Palestinian rights» and invited Member States to provide the widest support and coverage of ongoing events.

Solidarity Day is not a public holiday in any country, but is nevertheless celebrated annually in some UN offices, consulates, government agencies and organizations interested in issues related to Palestinian events.

Also, Solidarity Day events are covered in the media — newspapers, magazines, radio and television news, and in recent years the Day has become widely covered in online media. Among the topics covered in the discussions are — the status and situation of Palestine refugees, as well as issues of the general state of culture and society in Palestine.

The UN Secretary-General annually sends a special message to the leadership of the self-proclaimed State of Palestine in connection with this international Day. At the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People holds a special meeting every year to mark the International Day of Solidarity, as well as a number of cultural events. Meetings on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People are also held at the UN offices in Geneva and Vienna.

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