that your skill, with which we in this hall and outside it are familiar, will help us secure results worthy of the prestige and stature of the Council. 70. I should like also to thank your predecessor, the rep resentative of the Soviet Union, for the manner in which he discharged his functions as President last month. 71. Earlier, you welcomed on our behalf the representa- tive of China and Peru, and the delegation of Egypt is pleased to associate itself with your words of welcome. 72. Once again the occupied Arab territories of the West Bank and Gaza are the scene of an intensification in the past few weeks of acts of expulsion of Palestinian inhabit- ants and of repression by the occupying Power. Those acts have culminated in the imposition of a state of emergency and a curfew in towns and villages of the West Bank and Gam, and there have been a number of victims, including children, as reported even in the United States press. 73. The news agencies have carried some reports, which were confirmed by the recent letters sent to the Council by the observer for the PLO and by his statement here a few minutes ago when he gave a painful account of the actions taken by the occupying Power, which has used administra- tive detention to arrest Palestinians without charges for periods of up to six months, threatening them with expul- sion from their homes. Israel has also turned a number of West Bank towns and other population areas into military zones used for strictly military operations under the con- trol of paratroopers and other military forces. Those accounts have been reported in the media, indicating the deterioration of the situation in the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. 74. Unfortunately, this is not the first time the Council 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a speech or statement made in a United Nations Council meeting, discussing the situation in the occupied Arab territories of the West Bank and Gaza. The speaker is highlighting the human rights abuses and violations committed by the occupying power, specifically Israel, and is seeking to secure results worthy of the Council's prestige and stature. The text does not mention any specific economic or industrial issues, and instead focuses on humanitarian concerns.

**Category**
Humanitarian aid and relief, International relations