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Since the convention of Madrid conference for peace process,
which was held on the 30th of October 1991 to date, the
Arab-Israeli conflict went through various updates.
The letter of invitation to the conference, which was
addressed by both peace sponsors; the United States of America
and the former Soviet Union, included a statement to the
effect that "the subject peace process provides the
opportunity to bring to an end decades of confrontation and
conflict, and furnish a hope for permanent peace".
Upon this basis, the Arab party headed Madrid conference
holding on its national principles, and legitimate rights.
This was done with an aim to achieving peace that would ensure
the retrieval of the Arabian territories, and legitimate
national rights of the Palestinian people. A special emphasis,
in this regard, was laid to the destiny-determination right,
and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state,
with Jerusalem (Al-Qods Al-Sharif) as capital.
The Arab and International resolutions were being the grounds
upon which those aims were based.
Based upon the League Assembly resolution 5092 of the year
1991, the Arab states designated peace as a strategic
objective. Throughout the period from 1991 till 2001, a number
of updates took place. On top of those, was the announcement
of the PLO-Israel Declaration of Principles, signed in
Washington on September 13th, 1993.
Subsequent Interim agreements followed, and then came the
arrival of President Arafat and PLO leaders to Gaza and
Jericho, as an initial move towards the establishment of the
Palestinian authority institutions.
At that time, the League of Arab States assembly regarded the
agreement as a key step forward towards the implementation of
the "Land for Peace" Principle.
Subsequently, the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel was
signed in 1994, followed in 2000, by the withdrawal of Israel
from the occupied South Lebanon-except Shabaa Farms, under the
pressure of civil resistance actions, supported by the
Lebanese authority.
Throughout this period, with different Israeli governments
shifting between Right and Left, the Palestinian-Israeli peace
negotiations have been the object of a defiant Israeli
stubbornness, and sustained refusal to abide by the previously
signed agreements, in addition to repudiating its contractual
obligations.
Consequently, the peace process turned to an inevitable
deadlock, in spite of all the Arab and international efforts.
No clearer proof to such, than Israel's ongoing refrains to
honour its obligations during the interim period, which had
been set down by the Declaration of Principles as five years,
and has not been enforced as yet.
Furthermore, no serious formal negotiations concerning the
final status issues (al-Qods, refugees, and territories) have
been held so far.
By the time the peace process was falling down, came the
provocative break-in by Ariel Sharon into Al-Aqsa mosque, on
the 28th of September 2000, to trigger the uprising (Al-Aqsa
Intifada). Ever since, and following the empowerment of a new
national unity government, led by Sharon, Israel has been
saving no efforts to escalate a bloody suppressive campaign
against the Palestinian people.
Manifested in the shooting of civilians, destruction of the
Palestinian economy's infrastructure, bombardment of civilian
targets and facilities of the Palestinian Authority, adoption
of outlawed assassination policies, and imposition of siege
and closure measures, such campaign posed-and still is-a
factual declaration of war against the Palestinian people and
its leaders.
Notwithstanding the international and regional efforts,
exerted with the aim to come up with a peaceful settlement,
factors such as the recurrent Israeli stubbornness and
refusals, European irresolution, and the American partiality,
all drove the process to a deadlock.
However, it is worth mentioning that despite of all the
unfavourable conditions and international pressures, the Arab
stand vis-?-vis the Arab-Israeli conflict is still in grasp of
its National Principles. Continuously seeking to achieve them
by all convenient means, the following are the most important
of those principles, as defined in resolution 6053 of the
League Assembly, on the Ministerial level, on March 12th ,
2001:
1-The assertion on proceeding to support the peace process, in
accordance with the international legitimacy resolutions, with
an emphasis on Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, "Land
for Peace" Principle, and the Palestinian people's right for
destiny determination over its territories.
2-The reinforcement of the Palestinian side in its
confrontation in the face of the continuously updated status,
and its strives to hold on to the legitimate rights of the
Palestinian people in terms of Jerusalem (al-Qods), the
refugees, borders, and all other issues of the final status.
Moreover, to invoke the Islamic, friendly, and peace loving
countries to uphold this stand, which is based upon the
international legitimacy resolutions, particularly resolutions
242, 338, and 194.
3-Re-emphasising its previous resolution 5945, which
stipulates: "providing concrete support to the orientation of
the Palestinian Liberation Organization leadership, which is
being the legitimate and sole representative of the
Palestinian people, towards materializing the declaration of
establishing the Palestinian state during the current year,
along with taking all possible steps and measures, and
initiating the international communications needed to achieve
the same".
In this direction, the league assembly calls upon all Arab,
Islamic, and friendly states for the recognition of the
Palestinian state once declared.
4-Emphasising the congruency of the Fourth Geneva Convention
(1949)- concerning the protection of civilians in war time-
with the current status in the occupied Palestinian
territories, including Jerusalem (Al-Qods), and other Arab
territories occupied by Israel since 1967.
In this concern, the League Assembly is striving to hold a
conference for the Geneva Convention parties, to further boost
the efforts exerted in this regards.
5-Invoking the new American administration to place the Middle
East peace process within its prioritie Calling upon this
administration to instigate the principles of Madrid Peace
Conference, and compliance with the Security Council
Resolutions 242 and 338, and "Land for Peace" Principle, along
with laying due concern to the Palestinian people's right for
destiny determination, without any foreign intervention, in
order to restore security and stability in the Middle East
region.
6-Calling upon Russia and the European Union to exercise an
active role in overcoming the obstacles blocking the
establishment of a just comprehensive, and permanent peace in
the region; and urging them to sustain efforts aimed at
stopping Israel's attempts to obstruct the establishment of
the subject peace.
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