Values and Priorities
The people of Palestine have a clear goal of a State of Palestine based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its Capital. We want to achieve this through a peaceful negotiation, under the auspices of international law and grounded in UN resolutions.
This goal is why multilateralism and strong ties with the international community are so important to us.
The connection of our people to Palestine has been deeply rooted for thousands of years and this relationship is eloquently reflected in the Declaration of Independence adopted on 15 November 1988, which states:
“We pledge that our struggle shall be continued until the occupation ends, and the foundation of our sovereignty and independence shall be fortified accordingly.”
Our diplomatic service operates worldwide, with a mandate of raising the Palestinian struggle for rights and justice and strengthening the ties of friendship with the international community.
Among the issues we press are the occupation and its policies and practices against our people, colonisation, illegal settlements and annexation, the illegal separation wall, the expropriation of territory, Palestinian prisoners rights, justice for refugees, rights over our natural resources and recognition of our State and borders.
Palestine has been recognised by 138 counties and is an observer State at UN General Assembly as of 2012. Our Flag was raised at the UN headquarters for the first time in September 2015, and we celebrate flag day on September 30th every year. The Palestinian voice at the UN represents millions of Palestinians around the world in our struggle for peace, justice and human rights.
We play an active part there in raising our rights to self-determination and seeking a permanent, peaceful sovereignty. Palestine remains committed to obtaining full United Nations membership – taking its natural place in the international community, among the community of nations.