Arquivo da categoria: Official Viewpoint

Statement by PLO Secretary General Dr. Saeb Erekat on Netanyahu’s statement on Jewish Terrorism

Mr. Netanyahu is claiming  that the killing of any human being by a Jew is not comparable to the killing of a Jew by a non-Jew. This is probably why the terrorists who killed the Dawabsheh family haven’t been arrested just as Abu Khdeir family is still waiting for a ruling over the terrorists who burnt alive their 16 years old son, Mohammad.

Mr. Netanyahu’s referral to  “Palestinian incitement” as an excuse for Israeli terrorism is a further attempt at erasing his political and legal responsibility as the head of a belligerent occupier that violates the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people on  daily basis, including its very right to be free. Israel, the occupying power, continuously uses terror against the Palestinian people.

The State of Israel  honors the memory of terrorists who were responsible for the assassination of thousands of Christians, Muslims and Jews, including those who assassinated the UN Mediator Count Bernardotte in 1948, those who committed the Deir Yassin massacre, those who blew  up the Kind David Hotel, those who used terror to expel  thousands of people from their homes and land and even convicted terrorists by British Courts. A prominent case is that of  the terrorist Baruch Goldstein who killed 29 Palestinians at the Ibrahim Mosque in Hebron, and who has a shrine at the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement, across a park named after Meir Kahane, another Israeli terrorist.

Once again we call upon the international community to assume its responsibility to protect the Palestinian people and to stop treating Israel as a state above the law. 

Christmas Message by H.E President Mahmoud Abbas

It is a divine blessing that this year we are coincidentally celebrating the birth of Jesus and the birth of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon them, for the first time in centuries. On this day, billions around the world celebrate the birth of two great messengers of love, hope, justice and peace.

 Jesus is a symbol for all Palestinians. Palestine and its people take pride in being the birthplace of Christianity and having the oldest Christian community in the world.

 Christmas is a message of hope which should prevail even during the difficult times that our nation, and the world, are facing. In Bethlehem this year, Palestinians will celebrate Christmas surrounded by eighteen illegal settlements and an annexation wall, which are taking over their land. Over the past few months, we have seen how the Israeli government has continued to consolidate an Apartheid regime by accelerating policies which destroy the two-state solution. And yet, Palestinians continue to defy the daily oppression imposed by their occupier with steadfastness and love for their country.

 In 2015 we were able to finalize a landmark agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine; an agreement that is unique in our region. In the agreement, we ratified the historic status quo of the Churches in Palestine, as well as our respect for the principles of freedom of worship. The Holy See knows well that Christians are not a minority in Palestine; they are an integral part of our social fabric.

 Through this agreement we also seek to empower the work of the local church, with hundreds of priests, nuns and monks, who have dedicated their lives to the education, health and well-being of the Palestinian people. In particular I would like to mention Patriarch Emeritus Michael Sabbah, a national symbol, whom the State of Palestine has decorated with the Star of Jerusalem Order.

In 2015, Palestine was blessed with the Canonization of two Palestinian nuns, Marie Alphonsine Ghattas and Mariam Baouardi. We are proud not only because they are daughters of our nation, but also because of the contribution of their communities to our rich and diverse society.

This year, we witnessed more churches around the world supporting the call for recognition of the State of Palestine, and an increasing number of Christian groups campaigning to divest from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation of our land. We would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank all involved.

Several parliaments have also recommended that their governments recognize the State of Palestine, including most recently the parliament of Greece. We thank all countries that have taken the constructive step to recognize the State of Palestine and we ask those who have not yet recognized our state to do so, as an investment in peace. As a consequence of international solidarity with Palestine, during 2015 we were able to raise our flag at the United Nations Headquarters, just as it had been raised previously at the Holy See.

This Christmas comes during a particularly difficult period, when international intervention is desperately needed to protect the Palestinian people. Extremist Israeli settlers continue to attack Palestinians, including their mosques and churches, through acts of vandalism and terror. The twin cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem have been separated for the first time in over 2000 years of Christianity, resulting in incalculable damage to Palestinian society, culture and economy. Millions of Palestinians, as well as Christian and Muslim Arabs from the rest of the region, are not allowed to visit Jerusalem due to the Israeli occupation. There can be no Palestinian State without East Jerusalem as its capital, reunited with Bethlehem and the rest of Palestine.

Despite their prayers and other forms of peaceful protest against Israel’s colonialist plans, Palestinian Christians in Beit Jala were forced to watch as Israeli forces began the construction of the illegal Annexation Wall on their land, uprooting their historic olive trees in Cremisan. Recently, new expropriation orders have been issued against Bethlehemites, as plans were announced for settlement infrastructure in the Western Bethlehem Area. We will persist with our legitimate tools to end the occupation. We are not asking for anything more or anything less than what international law grants our people.

We reiterate our condemnation of the terror brought by Daesh, and other terrorist groups, and we support actions taken against them. We express our solidarity with the peoples who have been affected by their evil actions, and particularly with the millions of refugees who were forced to leave their homes in search of safety. The use of any religion for political purposes is absolutely unacceptable and must be fought. Within the Palestinian context, we call upon the international community to stop Israeli attempts at turning a difficult but solvable political issue into an impossible religious war.

Once again, we pray for the end of occupation and Apartheid in order to resurrect justice in our Holy Country. Ending decades of exile and oppression is a must in order to bring peace to our region. On the Holy Occasion of Christmas, I salute all Palestinians wherever they are, hoping for the day that they will be able to live, worship and be free in their homeland.

 

“Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth Peace”

 H.E President Mahmoud Abbas

President of the State of Palestine

Chairman of the Executive Committee of the

Palestine Liberation Organization

Statement by PLO Secretary General Dr. Saeb Erekat on EU Guidelines for Labeling Products from Israeli Settlements in Occupied State of Palestine

Dr. Saeb Erekat today welcomed the European Commission’s adoption of guidelines for labeling products made in illegal Israel settlements in the Occupied State of Palestine.  The move requires the correct and proper indication of origin of products produced in illegal settlements in the West Bank.
 
“We welcome this decision and consider it a significant move toward a total boycott of Israeli settlements, which are built illegally on occupied Palestinian lands,” Dr. Erekat said. “The EU has once again moved from the level of statements to taking concrete policy decisions. We believe that more actions are necessary to hold Israel accountable for the crimes it continues to commit against the land and people of Palestine.”
 
He added that “[c]oncrete actions are needed and are in the right direction toward achieving the two-state solution on the 1967 borders.”
 
This comes at a crucial time when Israeli incitement and brutality against Palestinian civilians has reached a peak.  According to UNOCHA, October alone has seen the highest recorded casualties of Palestinians in the West Bank (69 deaths and 7,392 injuries) since 2005, and the highest casualties in Gaza since Israel’s 2014 attack on Gaza last summer.
 
“The extra-judicial killings of innocent Palestinian civilians at the hands of the Israeli occupying forces and illegal Israeli settlers must stop.  The meaningful step taken by the EU today is one of many necessary steps to put a stop to these illegal settlements and violent settlers wreaking havoc on the Palestinian population,” Dr. Erekat concluded.

 

Statement by PLO Secretary General Dr. Saeb Erekat on Accusations Made Against Al-Haq

State of Palestine
Palestine Liberation Organization
Negotiations Affairs Department
November 11, 2015

For Immediate Release


 

“The State of Palestine has recently become aware of a targeted campaign against leading Palestinian human rights organization, Al-Haq. The defamatory campaign is accusing Al-Haq of a lack of financial transparency, and is attacking Al-Haq’s reputation as a professional organization, hoping to undermine its credibility.
Those behind the campaign, while remaining anonymous, have claimed to be associated with “the Palestinian Authority”. The State of Palestine wholeheartedly rejects this assertion. The State is deeply concerned by false accusations leveled against Al-Haq, and confirms that its governmental institutions have full faith and confidence that Al-Haq conducts all of its operations professionally and with full transparency.
The State takes pride in Al-Haq’s role as a leading civil society organization that promotes and protects Palestinian human rights and the application of international law, and works to hold perpetrators of human rights violations accountable.”

 

President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas’ Address To The United Nations Human Rights Council

Geneva

October 28, 2015

 

 

Your Excellency the President of the Human Rights Council,

The Honorable High Commissioner for Human Rights,

Distinguished members of the Human Rights Council,

Ladies and gentlemen, representatives of civil society organizations,

What we warned of has happened. The status of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, as a result of the continued Israeli occupation and its practices, is the worst and most critical since year 1948. This calls for a strong and decisive intervention and requires shouldering the responsibility, before it is too late, by the United Nations, its specialized international agencies and bodies, and its member states, most particularly the Security Council which is requested, more urgently than any time before, to set up a special regime for international protection for the Palestinian people, immediately and urgently.

 

Here we would like to stress that peace, security and stability will not be achieved unless the Israeli occupation is ended and the independence of the state of Palestine is obtained, with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the June 4th, 1967 borders, and in accordance with the international legitimacy resolutions, not by using wanton force, colonial settlement, collective punishment, house demolitions, field executions, denial of the other, and affronting the dignity of our people as well as propagating poisonous hatred and enmity against them.

I have repeatedly warned over the past years of the consequences of what has been happening in Jerusalem and its surroundings, which includes tightening the noose around the necks of the population, and violation of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, in addition to the measures undertaken by the successive Israeli governments, especially after year 2000, to systematically remold the identity of Jerusalem and its historical and demographic character, including increased settlement construction, illegal excavations under Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City, setting up walls to alienate Palestinian neighborhoods, closing its national institutions and tightening the noose around the necks of the population by different means to drive them out of the holy city.

I have noted over and over again that pressure will generate an explosion, and that the violations committed by settlers and extremist, protected by the Israeli occupation forces, against our Christian and Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, namely the plans that endanger Al-Aqsa Mosque, in order to alter the pre-1967 status quo and beyond, the thing which will turn the political conflict into a religious one that will have grave consequences on all of us, and we will never accept nor acknowledge that.

Here we come today to your esteemed council, to reiterate the importance of its role and resolutions on how necessary it is for Israel, the occupying power, to respect international law; the international human rights law and the international humanitarian law.

In this respect, we reaffirm the importance of implementing the declaration released by the International Conference of High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention on the full and unconditional applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention in the occupied state of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, which also provided that it countries are required, individually and collectively, to meet their responsibilities in respecting and implementing this deceleration forthwith.

Israel breaches, systematically and regularly, the rules and principle of international law and the international humanitarian law. It acts as a state above the law; undeterred, unpunished and unaccountable. On one hand it transfers part of its citizens to take over the land of the Palestinian people, as part of a colonial settlement plan, looting its natural resources and building roads, walls and transportation systems with a goal to present a new fait accompli to be embedded into a new racial-discrimination-based regime of their own.

 

Furthermore, it allows those settlers, protected by its military forces, to assault and commit crimes against Palestinian civilians, vandalize their property and places of worship, and defile their holy sites in Palestinian cities and villages. They have even formed armed terrorist gangs known with names such as ‘the price tag’ and others. Those have committed killings and arson attacks, the latest of which was burning to death the Dawabsheh family, and Mohammed Abu Khdeir, where the terrorist perpetrators are still at large and unpunished.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

Long-lasting hopelessness, depression, throttling and pressure, as well as lack of a sense of safety and security under which our people has been living for a long time now, are all factors that breed frustration amongst our youth and propels them into the state we witness today: despair, rebellion against reality and revolt for the sake of their dignity, homeland, people and holy sites which have been desecrated every other second again and again for seven decades now, under an occupation that does not quit killing, torturing, looting and imprisoning our sons, daughters and grandchildren.

Our people’s angry upheaval and the recent successive series of events are the inevitable outcome of what we had previously warned of, including the violations and crimes we previously reported, as well as failure of the international community to redress this injustice and distress suffered by our people, most particularly our youth.

As part of Israel’s persistence to act as a state above international law, its occupation force has recently stepped up its criminal practices to the point where it performed field executions against defenseless Palestinian civilians, including children, and it has persisted to terrorize our citizens by applying an approach of collective punishment, including house demolitions, forced displacement, blockading entire neighborhoods and arbitrary arrests, in addition to putting behind Israeli bars over six-thousand Palestinian prisoners. It is unacceptable for the current situation to persist, for it would kill the last shred of hope for the two-state-solution-based peace.

Mr. President,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Haven’t you wondered; for how long will this protracted Israeli occupation of our land last? For how long will our people remain dispossessed of the full and undiminished enjoyment of their rights as protected by international legitimacy, most notably their fundamental right to life and self-determination, and their right to build their independent and sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital as and to live as human beings in accordance with the provisions of international conventions and treaties. Is that too much to ask?

Isn’t it time for the international community to take a further step from merely extolling the justice of the Palestinian cause to taking practical measures and procedures which would actually serve such justice to my Palestinian people and establish peace and security as a tangible reality?

Mr. President,

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

I come to you from Palestine, the land of prophets and religions, carrying the message of a people who has been eager for freedom and independence; I come to you relaying a message of hope and tolerance sent across to you by my people who aspire to achieve their rights and have justice brought to them, and obtaining their freedom and independence, while extending, on their and their leadership’s behalf, the sincerest regards and appreciation to your esteemed Council, and highly valuing the efforts undertaken by you to protect and uphold human rights and freedoms in the State of Palestine and the entire world.

It is noteworthy to commend, in this respect, your valuable and objective positions and efforts intended to enable our people to enjoy their freedom and right to self-determination and protection of their fundamental human rights, as reflected in many of your resolutions. I would like also to express our sincere gratitude for your honorable Council, for adopting important resolutions, in its regular and special sessions, which unveil the critical human rights conditions lived in the occupied state of Palestine and the suffering of our people resultant from the Israeli occupation and its atrocities and aggressive practices.

Mr. President,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to underline the principal role assumed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights and special rapporteurs, as well as the work done by the independent international fact-finding missions set up by the Human Rights Council to look into human rights violations, and advise on acts that qualify as war crimes and crimes against humanity. Such missions include the fact-finding missions, established by the Council in its special sessions, in relation to the human rights situation in the occupied state of Palestine, with which Israel unfortunately refused to cooperate. Thanks to the efforts made by the sisterly countries of Egypt and Jordan, those missions were able to perform some of their duties and submit their reports which were considered and handled by the Council in a manner that established the measures of responsibility and accountability in a pursuit to serve justice.

I would like to invite all the special rapporteurs once again to come to Palestine and see the situation for themselves.

Mr. President,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Continued and aggravated Israeli attacks against our people shows that it is strictly necessary to maintain the seventh item titled as “The human rights status in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories” as a regular item on your Council’s agenda until such time the occupation comes to an end. Here I would like to urgently call for a review, by the Council, of the reports and resolutions relevant to Palestine in order to assess the progress made in implementing the recommendations thereof, and make practical suggestions conducive to bringing the suffering of the Palestinian people to an end, and guaranteeing their full enjoyment of their rights, since international law was created to be enforced, not negotiated upon. Therefore, the entire international community must act to ensure that international law is objectively respected, and must relinquish selectivity and double-standards.

Mr. President,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Despite all the obstacles laid by the occupation, we will press on with building the institutions of our state in accordance with international standards, and we will continue to enforce the rule of law, invoke democracy and transparency, protect women rights, promote equality amongst all members of society without racial or religious discrimination, promulgate a culture of peace, tolerance and dialogue, and abide by the approach of peaceful popular resistance. In practice, we have had already made substantial progress, as vouched for by several international actors, and we will proceed with our efforts and endeavors, supported by our brethren and friends, to make that state a concrete reality.

In this respect, we will continue to join international organizations and conventions, in order to safeguard our rights and protect our people, we will also continue to harmonize our domestic laws and regulations with international practices and standards. We will proceed to protecting our people who are living under occupation by using all peaceful and legal means, including continuing to work with the International Criminal Court concerning Israeli crimes, including field executions and violations of the rights of our youth and children. We will also act with the required patience, wisdom and courage necessary to protect our people and maintain our political and national achievements; attained following decades of struggle, perseverance and sacrifices offered by our people.

We reaffirm the unity of our land and people, and reiterate our rejection of any interim or partial solutions. We also seek to form a national unity government that operates in line with the Palestine Liberation Organization program, conduct elections and convene the Palestinian National Council.

From here I once again call upon our Palestinian people wherever they are, to further unite, stick together and be vigilant against the schemes designed to forestall our national enterprise and our hard work in building and development, while stressing that we will not spare any effort to defend, protect and enable our people to live in freedom, security and wellbeing in their homeland.

Mr. President,

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

We extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the 137 states which recognized Palestine, and we also thank the parliaments which recommended their governments to do so. In this context, we hereby invite the countries that have not yet recognized Palestine to do so. Those who say that they support the two-state solution must recognize two states, not only one.

We also welcome international, European and Arab efforts which call for expanding international participation to achieve peace, including having the Security Council issue a resolution that includes clear standards for achieving peace based on the two-state solution along the 1967 lines, and set a timeline to end the occupation with international supervision, and launch that it in an international peace conference. In the meanwhile, Israel would release the fourth tranche of prisoners and halt all of its settlement activities so that the State of Palestine can live side by side with the State of Israel. It is no longer useful to waste time in negotiations just for the sake of negotiations, what is required is the ending of occupation in accordance with the international legitimacy resolutions. Until such time, we reiterate that the UN Security council is required to establish a special regime of international protection for our Palestinian people.

Mr. President,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Israel shattering the foundations upon which the political, economic and security agreements with us were built, in addition to the measures undertaken by the successive Israeli governments which led to the obstruction of the transitional phase which is meant to realize the independence of our state, prompts us to reassert our position which was proclaimed on the 30th of last month in New York, that we cannot continue to be bound, unilaterally, by the agreements signed with Israel while it fails to show commitment thereto. Israel must bear all of its responsibilities as an occupying power, because the status quo cannot continue, and we continue to stress that we will start the implementation of this declaration by all peaceful and legal means.

 

Mr. President,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Our Palestinian people seek to obtain their freedom and independence on their homeland and in their own state based on the 1967 borders, alongside the state of Israel, where the two states will live in peace, security and good neighborhood, with full respect to the UN charter, and in keeping with international resolutions, in addition to solving the Palestinian refugees problem in accordance with resolution 194 and the Arab Peace Initiative, as well as releasing all prisoners.

In these critical and defining moments, I extend an honest invitation to the members of the Israeli people, and invite them for a right and justice-based peace that guarantees security and stability for all, while reasserting from this humanitarian and foremost forum, that our hands remain outstretched for a just peace that will guarantee my people’s rights, freedoms and humanitarian dignity. One again I would like to say to the intellectuals, opinionists and politicians of the Israeli society that peace is affordable and within reach, and the answer is simple; your state must end its occupation of our land, your oppressive war machine must stop its aggression our people, settlement activities must be ceased and the criminal acts of settlers must be stopped, thereby all of us will be able to enjoy peace, security and stability.

There is nothing worse than despair and hopelessness and distrust in the present and the future. Our young men and women, O neighbors, aspire to live in an atmosphere of freedom and dignity in order to be able to build their future and life in a safe and favorable environment. There are just like your children: they have the same dreams and ambitions and dream of a safer and more stable tomorrow. Your occupation of our land is the ultimate form of injustice, and is the root cause of all the tragedies our people have long suffered from, and it is the reason that keeps our region and its peoples spiraling in a cycle of violence. We do not want violence, yet the continuation of occupation would expand the scope of violence, chaos, extremism and bloodshed.

I’m not overreacting when I say; it is about time that your leaders had the courage to make rightful and honest decisions before it is too late, to make the two-state solution a concrete reality, because this might be the last convenient chance for this solution, for no one knows, later on, what the winds of change, sweeping across the region, are carrying along. Security cannot be realized through occupation and military and discriminatory force. It is only achieved by recognition of the rights of the other.

We say to the international community and powerful actors: Isn’t it enough, ladies and gentlemen, [for a people to endure] seventy years of suffering, injustice, oppression and deprivation, and perpetuation of the longest occupation known to mankind in modern history, under a biased system that discriminates between this blood and that blood, this color and that color; this one is valuable and that one is worthless?

It is the duty of everyone of conscience, everyone who believes in right and justice and the dignity of mankind regardless of any considerations, to raise their voice and say out loud: Stop these daily crimes committed against my people, have their rights resorted to them and refrain from leveling your fire against them; let them live their lives and build their future on their homeland Palestine. Should our people not enjoy freedom, dignity and full sovereignty over their national soil, airspace, territorial waters and borders, no one would be able to enjoy peace, security and stability.

Our people will not be put down, will not surrender nor succumb. Our mothers raised us from day one to be resilient. From our end, we will continue to defend our people and cause with all peaceful, legal and political means.

 

Mr. President,

Ladies and gentlemen,

We will not accept that the name of Palestinian leader Haj Amin Al-Husseini be embroiled in a manner that is incompatible with historical facts, and that manipulates the sentiments of the Jewish people who had been victims of the most horrendous crime known in modern history committed by Nazis. We also refuse incitement and misrepresentation of the history and struggle of the Palestinian people to obtain their freedom and independence.

We do not seek anything but to live in pride, honor and glory, like all the peoples of the world. So do not push my people into further despair, be their sisters and brothers in humanity and be supportive of ensuring their rights are respected. In doing so, you serve peace and protect Israel from itself and the arrogance of its force. Alas, how short a human’s memory span is, when a victim becomes the abuser!

 

Once again, I greet and thank you. Let justice, peace and harmony prevail in my homeland Palestine.

 

 

 

Arabic version (original): http://www.wafa.ps/arabic/index.php?action=detail&id=207827

Stop Talking About A Third Intifada—Israel’s Occupation Must End

Article by Dr. Saeb Erekat is the Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

A Palestinian protester holds a Palestinian flag as others take cover during clashes with the Israeli army at Qalandia checkpoint near occupied West Bank city of Ramallah October 6, 2015.Reuters/Mohamad Torokman
A Palestinian protester holds a Palestinian flag as others take cover during clashes with the Israeli army at Qalandia checkpoint near occupied West Bank city of Ramallah October 6, 2015.Reuters/Mohamad Torokman

Over the past few days, many have wondered whether this is the beginning of a third Intifada. For the Palestinian people, this question is no longer relevant. There has not been a single day, in almost half a century, that we haven’t suffered from the Israeli occupation; the main source of violence in our region. Occupation means control, which is precisely what Israel has been doing with our lives, with a daily oppression and humiliation in our own homeland by a belligerent occupying power.
During his U.N. speech President Abbas said: “I must reiterate: the current situation is unsustainable. Our people need genuine hope and need to see credible efforts for ending this conflict, ending their misery and achieving their rights.” He called upon the Israeli society: “I hope that you will consider the dangerous reality on the ground and look to the future and accept for the Palestinian people what you accept for yourselves.”Yet, Netanyahu’s right-wing extremist government continues to deny Palestinian rights and to incite violence, clearly indicating that ending this Apartheid regime is not an option. His top diplomat, [Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi] Hotovely, just yesterday declared that this government was formed with the goal of preventing a two-state solution. Netanyahu assumes that no matter what he says or does, the international community has nothing else to offer than to call for the “resumption of negotiations.”
To consider what is happening just as a “new wave of violence” mainly overlooks the point that Palestinians have been under a belligerent occupation for decades, that Israel continues with its Apartheid policies and to build illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land, and that Israel has been aiming to change Palestine’s identity; particularly occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, incited by members of Netanyahu’s government, are just one example of the daily Israeli incitement not only against Palestinian rights as a whole, but against the very existence of an independent State of Palestine as a sovereign nation.
Palestine has been requesting international protection from the United Nations for over a year, but so far it has failed to take action. Palestinians all over occupied Palestine suffer as a result of the lack of accountability and the impunity granted to Israel by the international community. Now, as Mr. Netanyahu decides to declare war against Palestinian civilians by adopting a set of collective punishment policies, and the Mayor of the Israeli Jerusalem Municipality Mr. [Nir] Barkat calls upon Israeli-Jews, not necessarily soldiers, to carry their weapons around the city, we can only expect that more violence and oppression will arrive in the coming days.
Such a culture of impunity has incentivized crimes and has made Israel realize that they will not pay any price for continuing to deny the internationally recognized rights of the Palestinian people.
What has been happening for the last decades in occupied Palestine is about cementing sovereignty over land that the international community agrees does not belong to Israel, and over a subject people, the Palestinians, all in contravention of international law.
Israel must be held accountable for its crimes. This culture of impunity has to end now before it creates irreversible damage. Israel’s recent actions—including attempts to discredit victims’ families and eyewitnesses, deliberately targeting civilians and pursuing a policy of collective punishment—epitomize the repression and systematic violations of human rights inherent in Israel’s unjust occupation. Israel’s occupation sanctions, oppresses and forbids justice at every turn.
The international response to the events of the past few days has been far from what the situation on the ground requires. I have read some statements calling for a “resumption of negotiations.” Let me be clear: negotiations are not a substitute for justice. The parties making such statements are fully aware that the Israeli government is not committed with the basic outcome required from any negotiations, which is to end the Israeli occupation that began in 1967.
The question is not whether this is a third Intifada or an isolated wave of violence. What we have seen are symptoms of this reality of occupation, colonization and Apartheid that Israel has imposed over Palestine against the basic principles upon which the international community was created. The world has allowed this to happen.The international community has to assume its responsibilities by holding Israel accountable for the crimes it continues to commit against the land and people of Palestine. Without international intervention things are not going to change. Providing international protection to the Palestinian people and to stop treating Israel as a state above the law is the least that we could ask for.

Link to the article:http://europe.newsweek.com/stop-talking-about-third-intifadaisraels-occupation-must-end-334323

Dr. Saeb Erekat: Palestine cries ‘We exist’ to the world as UN raises its flag

For decades the flag of Palestine has represented the struggle of a whole nation for its human and national rights. Whether it is from the ruins of Gaza, in Yarmouk Refugee Camp in Syria, over the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, in Jericho, in Santiago de Chile or in San Francisco, generation after generation of our people have gathered around our flag, reinforcing our rights for freedom, return, justice and peace. Today, our flag will be raised in New York, after an overwhelming majority of the international community voted in favour of this resolution.

 The Zionist movement and later the State of Israel, with the complicity of the international community, has for decades tried to negate the existence of the Palestinian people. First, for them Palestine was a “land without a people for a people without a land,” and several policies were implemented in order to displace Palestinian villagers.

 In 1948, after Israel destroyed at least 418 Palestinian villages and 70% of our people became refugees, some would refer to the Palestinian national cause as a “humanitarian problem of near east refugees”.

After 1967, Israel would not talk about withdrawing from the occupied territory but about colonising what they refer to as “Judea and Samaria” with foreign settlers. Today, despite all the efforts to break our will, the flag of a recognised state flies at the United Nations. This recognised state is called Palestine.

In 1988 the Palestine National Council declared the independence of the State of Palestine. The declaration of independence, written by Mahmoud Darwish and translated by Edward Said, made a direct reference to the symbolism of our flag: “We call upon our great people to rally to the Palestinian flag, to take pride in it and to defend it, so that it shall remain forever a symbol of our freedom and dignity in a homeland that shall be forever free and the abode of a people of free men.”

Yes, this is a symbolic step, but these symbolic steps build upon other steps, which aim to consolidate the fact that Palestine exists. Palestine is legally a state under occupation and its flag now has been raised at the United Nations as a symbol of its international recognition. Furthermore, it sends a powerful message of hope and dignity to our people. With such steps, along with the steadfastness of our people, we are returning Palestine to the map.

 We understand that the Israeli government fiercely opposes this step. We are not surprised. In fact, Israel opposes any step that provides Palestinians any sign of sovereignty or strengthens of the two-state solution. For Netanyahu, any peaceful step towards ending Israel’s belligerent occupation of Palestine is a declaration of war.

 This reflects the fact that, as said by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his electoral campaign, a Palestinian state will not be established “on their watch”. This was echoed a few days ago by Israel’s top diplomat Tzipi Hotovely, who stated that leaving the West Bank “is not an option” for the Israeli government. Israel rejects two-sovereign states living side by side but also rejects one state with equal rights for all its citizens. What they are working on is to consolidate a “one-state/two systems” structure – a pure apartheid regime.

Today, I cannot help but think about the thousands who were imprisoned and beaten by Israeli forces simply for raising our flag during the first Intifada, and particularly of my students at Al-Najah University. I think of Mahmoud Darwish, our national poet and his words: “Standing here, staying here, permanent here, eternal here, and we have one goal, one, one: to be.”

At a moment some prefer to ignore our presence and negate their historic responsibility for the Palestinian catastrophe by strengthening Israel’s culture of impunity − even as it continues to violate UN resolutions and international law − we proudly say that no matter the disparity of our forces, we are here to stay.

As Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem Michael Sabbah said: “Whatever you do, this land belongs to us and will return to us one day. You are stronger with your weapons, but you are not the strongest when it comes to humanity.” This message has been repeated by the hundreds of women and men who have risked their own lives to defend al-Aqsa mosque and the identity of our occupied capital, Jerusalem, against the Israeli plans to change the city’s identity.

Today is a moment of pride and joy for 11 million Palestinians all over the world. Raising the flag of Palestine is raising a symbol of the universal struggle for justice, freedom and equality. Today we proudly repeat the words of the late Yasser Arafat: “A day will come when one of our boys or girls will raise the flag of Palestine over the walls of Jerusalem, the minarets of Jerusalem and the churches of Jerusalem.”

 Dr Saeb Erekat is the Secretary General of the PLO.

Source: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/saeb-erekat-palestine-cries-we-exist-world-un-raises-its-flag-1521784

 

Saeb Erekat: What Palestine needs is for Europe to honour its own agreements

Op-Ed by:  Dr. Saeb Erekat, PLO Executive Committee member, head published in The Guardian on June 28th, 2015.
Link to the article: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/28/palestine-europe-honour-agreements-israel

In light of the latest developments in the diplomatic arena, including a Security Council Peace Initiative, the UN report on the 2014 Gaza aggression and Palestine’s first submission of information to the International Criminal Court, it is worth reminding ourselves of Europe’s role in and responsibility for solving the question of Palestine.

Internationally, it is often forgotten that the two-state solution is built on a huge concession of Palestinian land: 78% of what was Palestine before the creation of Israel in 1948. This painful decision came out of years of internal discussion and external dialogue, in an attempt to achieve the long-overdue recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people and ensure peace for everyone in the region. Europe stood with us at the centre of these discussions and committed itself to supporting a political process which would realise this common goal.

That was in 1988, almost three decades ago. Over time, the political process somehow became an end in itself, the only goal being to get the two parties to the table – nowadays an almost feverish obsession for some governments. It didn’t matter how many Palestinians were killed or imprisoned, or that the bulldozers continued to crush Palestinian homes or even projects funded by the EU, while the cranes built more illegal settlements for Israeli citizens. It hasn’t mattered that one party at the table does not even want the two-state solution, as Mr. Netanyahu openly announced on the eve of the election in March of this year. (He rowed back on the claim after winning reelection four days later, prompting a number of his apologists in Europe to play it down as mere ‘campaign rhetoric’.) It seems not to matter that the current reality is of a single state and two systems – one of privilege for Israeli Jews and one of discrimination for Palestinian Christians and Muslims.

Over the years, the EU has tried to incentivise Israel to come to the table with juicy little carrots, the EU-Israel Association Agreement being a case in point. This document enshrines human rights and political progress as basic conditions for an agreement which provides Israel with a whole host of benefits. Israel ignores the conditions and yet reaps the benefits. The logical outcome? Israel has nothing to fear from its violations of international law and no incentive to negotiate a solution.

What we, as Palestinians, are asking from Europe is nothing more than that the EU protects their own 20-year-long investment in the two-state solution by respecting its own obligations under domestic and international law. Nothing more than adherence to its own policies. Nothing more than allowing our people the same basic human rights to which all people are entitled.

Under international law, states have a duty not to support Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land. Logic and law dictate that the EU and its member states take active steps towards implementing the two-state solution. Recognising the state of Palestine on the 1967 border is a natural translation of the Palestinian right to self-determination. This right, as stated in Europe’s own Berlin declaration of 1999, cannot be subject to any veto (meaning, for one thing, that it cannot be made contingent upon negotiations). Following the EU Guidelines relating to prizes and grants, more must be done to ensure that states are not directly or indirectly supporting the occupation, by banning products and goods made on stolen land with stolen natural resources. Furthermore, Israel’s failure to meet the basic conditions of the Association Agreement with the EU should logically result in that agreement being formally reviewed.

The PLO’s internationalisation strategy is based on the idea that only by ensuring equality and justice will we be able to achieve a lasting peace. When last Thursday Palestine submitted its first files of evindence to the International Criminal Court, we sent the same message: Justice is a universal concept. Europe cannot be the champion of universal human rights with the exception of Palestine. And boosting relations with Israel while the latter is systematically violating the rights of the Palestinian people is not logical and not in line with the law.

SPEECH BY DR. RIAD MALKI, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE STATE OF PALESTINE, ON THE OCCASION OF THE SIGNING OF A COMPREHENSIVE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE STATE OF PALESTINE AND THE HOLY SEE

Your Excellency Archbishop Gallagher,
Esteemed members of the delegations of the Holy See and the State of Palestine,

We are pleased and honored to have officially signed the Comprehensive Agreement between the State of Palestine and the Holy See, following a number of years of intensive negotiations in a spirit of partnership. This agreement is a historic agreement. It would have not been possible without the support and personal dedication of President Abbas, and the blessing of His Holiness, Pope Francis, to our efforts in this regard.

This agreement builds on the special relations between the State of Palestine and the Holy See, and expands further on the Basic Agreement signed between the PLO and the Holy See in the year 2000.

The agreement is comprehensive. Its provisions span the shared vision of the two Parties for peace and justice in the region, the protection of fundamental freedoms, the status and protection of Holy Sites, and the means of enhancing and furthering the presence and activities of the Roman Catholic Church in the State of Palestine.

For the first time, the Agreement includes an official recognition by the Holy See of Palestine as a State, in recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, freedom and dignity in an independent state of their own, free from the shackles of occupation. It also supports the vision for peace and justice in the region in accordance with international law and based on two states, living side by side in peace and security, on the basis of the 1967 borders.

The agreement reinforces our bond with new and unprecedented provisions related to the special status of Palestine as the birthplace of Christianity and as the cradle of monolithic religions. It embodies our shared values of freedom, dignity, tolerance, co-existence, and equality of all. This comes at a time when extremism, barbaric violence, and ignorance threaten the social fabric and cultural identity of the region and indeed of human heritage. At this backdrop, the State of Palestine reiterates its commitment to combat extremism, and to promote tolerance, freedom of consciousness and religion, and to equally safeguard the rights of all its citizens. These are the values and principles that reflect the beliefs and aspirations of the Palestinian people and its leadership, and they are the pillars upon which we continue to endeavor to establish our independent and democratic State.

This agreement consolidates and improves the current state of affairs, in which the Roman Catholic Church enjoys rights, privileges, immunities, and free access. It upholds the Church’s standing as an important contributor to the lives of many Palestinians.

This Agreement is the product of a number of years of detailed and exhaustive negotiations between both of our teams, in a spirit of friendship and partnership. I would like to take this opportunity to extend our thanks and appreciation to them and to all others who contributed to this effort, for their hard work and commitment. In particular to the members of the Palestinian team composed of Ambassador Rawan Sulaiman, Ambassador Issa Kassissieh, Ammar Hijazi and Azem Bishara, and to the team of the Holy See, in particular Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Archbishop Antonio Franco, Msgr. Alberto Ortega, and Fr. Emil Salayta.

On behalf of President Abbas and the Palestinian leadership, I wish to reiterate the commitment of the State of Palestine to implement this historic agreement, in both letter and spirit, and to further deepen our partnership.

Congratulations and thank you.

Questions and Answers Palestine’s First Communication of Information to the International Criminal Court Regarding Violations of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law

On June 25th, 2015, the State of Palestine will officially present an initial batch of information to the International Criminal Court in order to assist with its preliminary examination into crimes committed on the territory of the occupied State, including East Jerusalem, since June 13 2014. The delivery of this information is considered a fundamental step in the process of ending Israeli impunity and bringing justice to the Palestinian people.

Is this communication a referral?

No. The communication focuses on providing information to the ICC Prosecutor so as to supplement a preliminary examination in advance of an official investigation. If the Prosecutor finds that the information reaches the threshold required for an investigation, she will proceed with the investigation. Palestine is simply contributing information to facilitate the preliminary examination initiated 16 of January 2015

Will Palestine make specific referrals to the ICC?

As a State Party to the Rome Statute, the State of Palestine may make referrals to the Court and may choose to do so at a later stage if it deems necessary. This will depend upon how the preliminary investigation progresses.

What does this communication reflect?

The communication reflects the strong consensus amongst the Palestinian people that we seek accountability and the prevention of crimes of concern to the international community as a whole. Palestine’s accession to the Rome Statute was the outcome of a long process of internal discussion between the PLO, political parties, civil society and other actors within Palestinian society, reaching the consensus that Palestine should be a State Party to the ICC. In effect, this submission reflects the State and its institutions’ willingness to assist the Office of the Prosecutor by providing information relevant to her preliminary examination of the crimes committed in our territory.

What will this communication include?

The files to be presented to the court refer to war crimes and crimes committed by individuals of the Israeli leadership. It will focus primarily on providing the context within which a pattern of systematic interrelated crimes have been committed within and throughout the Palestinian state, including through the Israeli settlement regime, and the blockade and attacks against the Gaza Strip and civilian population.

The information contained in the communication aims to demonstrate that there are practices and policies which either triggered the commission of these crimes, or which are criminal in and of themselves, or both. The files include statistics on settlements, prisoners, as well as statistics on Israel’s aggression and attack on Gaza 2014

The communication will highlight the context within which a widespread and systematic attack by Israeli leaders and agents is continually being perpetrated against the Palestinian people. As a whole, the communication confirms that the absence of accountability has lead to the recurrence of violations and crimes and will continue to do so if gone unchecked.

What territory and which period of time does the communication include?

The State of Palestine, as recognized by the United Nations, includes all of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza governorates.

The communication is in line with the declaration lodged by the State of Palestine on 1 January 2015 under article 12(3) of the Rome Statute in which Palestine accepted the jurisdiction of the ICC. Consistent with the Rome Statute, the communication outlines crimes committed in the occupied State of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, since 13 June 2014.

Who prepared the files to be submitted?

The Higher National Committee prepared the communication file for the ICC. This committee includes members of the PLO Executive Committee, ministers and relevant ministerial bodies, and representatives of all political parties, security forces and professional unions.

By joining the court, Palestine seeks accountability for the widespread and blatant criminality which persists against it in hopes that this will provide a measure of protection by deterring future crime.

“It is time to put an end to the Palestinian tragedy by ensuring the rights of Palestinians under international law”

H.E President Mahmoud Abbas, May 2015.