President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan has reiterated UAE's support to the Palestinian people in their struggle to gain freedom and establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

In a letter of solidarity with the Palestinian people, conveyed here yesterday by Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, UAE's permanent representative to the UN, to Baba Louis Foul, Chairman of the Committee on Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Sheikh Zayed expressed his concern over international community's continued inaction to force Israel to implement the international legitimacy resolutions and instantaneously stop its systematic aggression against, and occupation of Palestinian territories.

The letter marked the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People which was observed yesterday.

The President appealed to the UN to provide an urgent international umbrella to the Palestinians against Israeli attacks.

He also urged the international community and donor countries to immediately increase their political, development, economic and relief aid to the Palestinians and their national authority "to enable them gain freedom and independence, lead a decent life and rebuild their multi-dimensional institutions destroyed by virtue of the Israeli illegitimate occupation and aggression."

Sheikh Zayed expressed total disappointment over the international community's failure to force Israel to abide by and implement the international resolutions and agreements signed by the Israelis with the Palestinians as part of their peace negotiations, adding that the UN's failure had generated mounting frustrations and feelings of injustice on the Palestinian side.

The UAE urged the international community to bring pressure on Tel Aviv to force the Jewish entity to implement the decisions of the international legitimacy, which the Arab peace initiative is based on and which, legally, forms the just basic principles for achieving comprehensive and just peace in the Middle East.

"We wish to reiterate that the political, legal, historic and ethical responsibilities toward the Palestinian issue will continue to hang on the United Nations until the Palestinian people achieve freedom and their legitimate rights for self-determination, by establishing their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital," Sheikh Zayed said in the statement.

"On this note, we call for urgent international protection for the Palestinian people in order to end the continuous aggression and crimes being committed against them by Israel," Sheikh Zayed said, adding "not only are these crimes against the international laws and norms but are also against the principles governing international relations.

"Bringing peace in our Arab region demands a genuine political will and a more serious approach by the United Nations to force Israel to implement UN resolutions related to the Arab-Israeli conflict."

The President said: "As a first step to contain the cycle of violence in the region, we reiterate the need for Israel to withdraw from all areas it re-occupied from September2000 and to stop the daily atrocities it commits against the Palestinian people, in addition to, Israel's withdrawal from other Palestinian and Arab lands, which the Jewish entity was occupying since June 1967," the statement said.

"This is to pave the way for the declaration of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital," the statement added.

The UAE reiterated its permanent commitment of unflinching support for the Palestinians until they regain all their rights.