[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 207 (Wednesday, December 1, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1296]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      COMMEMORATING NOVEMBER 29TH AS THE ANNUAL OBSERVANCE OF THE 
    INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AS 
                    DESIGNATED BY THE UNITED NATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 1, 2021

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, the United Nations General Assembly has 
designated the 29th of November for the annual observance of the 
International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. It was on 
November 29, 1947 that the Assembly adopted the resolution on the 
partition of Palestine.
  On November 29, 2021, in recognition of the Palestinian people and 
this annual observance I issued the following statement that I include 
in the Record:

       Today, the world reflects on the condition of the 
     Palestinian people who struggle under a brutal military 
     occupation, barely survive under a cruel blockade, exist as 
     second-class citizens inside Israel, and live-in exile far 
     from their homeland. The fundamental human rights all people 
     seek, the rights that ensure safety and security, elevate 
     human dignity, and promote peace and opportunity for the 
     future, have been systematically denied to the Palestinian 
     people for nearly eight decades. The international community 
     has a moral obligation, and I personally feel this 
     obligation, to stand in solidarity with the people of 
     Palestine--defending their human rights, promoting their 
     right to self-determination, and working tirelessly for a 
     path forward toward justice, equality, and freedom for all 
     Palestinians.
       And, standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people, I 
     call on the State of Israel to end its military occupation, 
     end its illegal settlement expansion and annexation of 
     Palestinian lands, and end its blockade of Gaza. I also call 
     on the international community, including the U.S. 
     government, to end policies that maintain the status quo, 
     allowing for passive acquiescence to Israel's systematical 
     designed and executed actions to deny the Palestinian people 
     a future in their own homeland. It is time for the world 
     community, especially the Biden administration, to take 
     demonstrable steps toward holding all state and non-state 
     actors in this conflict accountable to internationally 
     recognized standards while working for a diplomatic outcome 
     that will achieve peace, security, and a future of hope and 
     opportunity for Palestinians, Israelis, and all people in the 
     region.
       I am proud to stand in solidarity with the mothers and 
     fathers, the elders, and the children of Palestine. And, 
     pledge to continue to work in partnership with the 
     Palestinian people to build a future of hope and opportunity 
     for today and tomorrow.

                          ____________________