Palestinian diplomatic efforts continue with Jordanian and Egyptian support to mobilize Arab and international backing for the Palestinian cause in order to end the Israeli occupation of the land designated to be the State of Palestine and establish the state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Such efforts are also intended to resolve the refugee issue in accordance with UN Resolution 194 and to release Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli prisons.
These efforts must be doubled with urgent action from the “Middle East Quartet” — the UN the EU the US and Russia — whose delegates met recently to push the peace process forward in accordance with international references resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. It is also important to make clear decisions regarding the need to hold an international peace conference to push the peace process forward.
On the ground the Palestinian leadership must take the required steps and embody the Palestinian Declaration of Independence which has been with us for the past three decades so that the aspirations of the Palestinian people throughout the phases of struggle perseverance and liberation can be realized. The leadership has to embed the concept of independence and Palestinian national rights within international organizations and institutions before turning them into political realities.
The Palestinian factions meanwhile must work to implement the presidential decree related to civil freedoms to create the appropriate climate for the elections to be transparent free and fair so that democratic processes are established in the daily life of the Palestinians. This will preserve the political and struggle legacy of the Palestinians as well as support the concept of national independence and the importance of an all-party commitment to what was agreed in terms of the political framework for the elections. This would also portray an honorable image in front of the world and allow the Palestinian state to express itself and its democratic approach.
The fact is that the Palestinians have legitimate rights including the right to their own state. And such a state has to be able to issue its own passports and currency. It is also important to develop the Palestinian institutions within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization which is the recognized option for an independent Palestinian state.
Palestinian diplomacy continues to express the reality of the people on the ground living under the ongoing occupation. It conveys details of the daily violations and unjust aggression carried out by the Israeli occupation army against the Palestinian people so that the international position is strengthened in support of their legitimate rights. Diplomacy also aims to strengthen international recognition of the Palestinian state.
The establishment of the State of Palestine as a reality will put an end to the racist occupation the state terrorism of the occupying power the attack on Palestinian rights and creeping annexation through the establishment and growth of illegal settlements. The UN’s recognition of an independent state must be a priority for the international community if the longest military occupation in the world is to be brought to an end.
– Sari Al-Qudwa is a Palestinian politician and former Palestinian foreign minister. His article appeared in MEMO.
