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UNITED NATIONS, May 17-- UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed said Thursday that peace requires political will and courage from all sides. Addressing the United Nations Forum on the Question of Palestine, Mohammed said that the international community "must work for an outcome where fear is replaced with dignity and denial cedes ground to justice." "Today is an occasion to reflect on the costs and consequences of the 1948 war, which resulted in the mass displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes," she said, adding that it is also an opportunity to look ahead at what must be done to address this situation. The 1948 Palestine war refers to the war that occurred in the former Mandatory Palestine during the period between the United Nations vote on the partition plan on Nov. 30, 1947, and the official end of the first Arab-Israeli war on July 20, 1949. "This year we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," she said, noting that the principles and standards enshrined in the Universal Declaration should guide the search for a durable solution to the question of Palestine, a solution that must be based on international law, the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians and Israelis, as well as dialogue for reconciliation and for accountability. Referring to the recent violence in Gaza, the UN deputy chief said that it "underscores the need for action." | 
