UN General Assembly
1969

by delegations, and should be asked, but we would be deluding ourselves if we believe that in the answers to those questions lies a true criterion of the rightness of action of this Organization. 46. Permit me to ask my own question in relation to some of the issues before this Assembly and, in so doing, disperse any doubts about the relevance of my discussion of the authority of the Organization. 47. In the Middle East this Organization has, for more than 20 years, seen a total refusal by Israel to implement the General Assembly’s resolutions relating to the Palestinian refugees; neither repatriation nor compensation has been afforded to them. Thus, for more than 20 years, one and a half million people have been condemned to refugee Status and denied elementary justice. Not all the humanitarian efforts of UNRWA, to which I pay sincere tribute, nor those of the Arab host States which have afforded them refuge can compensate for the injustice done to these people. When, I ask, will the Organization take the action necessary to assert its authority?