48th plenary meeting

27 July 1982

Assistance to the Palestinian people

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolution ES-7/5 of 26 June 1982,

Recalling further Security Council resolution 512 (1982) of 19 June 1982,

Expressing its deep alarm at the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which claimed the lives of a very large number of civilian Palestinians,

Gravely concerned at the Israeli destruction in Lebanon of Palestinian camps and other areas heavily inhabited by civilian Palestinians, together with their social and economic structures,

Noting with deep concern the dire need of the Palestinians in Lebanon for urgent humanitarian assistance as a result of the Israeli invasion,

Referring to the humanitarian principles of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, and to the obligations arising from the regulations annexed to the Hague Conventions of 1907,

1. Endorses General Assembly resolution ES-7/5, in which the Assembly condemned Israel for its non-compliance with Security Council resolutions 508 (1982) of 5 June 1982 and 509 (1982) of 6 June 1982 and stressed its support for victims of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which inflicted severe damage on the civilian population, including the heavy loss of human livs and social and economic structures;

2. Calls upon all Governments to provide, as a matter of urgency, emergency assistance to the Palestinians in Lebanon;

3. Urges the relevant programmes, organizations, agencies and organs of the United Nations system to initiate and provide, in co-operation with the Palestine Liberation Organization, urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians in Lebanon;

4. Calls upon Israel to release civilians detained by the Israeli occupation army in Lebanon and to apply fully to the civilians the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War;

5. Also calls upon Israel to apply fully the Geneva Conventions to imprisoned combatants;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session and to the Economic and Social Council at its second regular session of 1983 on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution.