PLO Calls on New Israeli Government to Start Serious Peace Process
http://english.wafa.ps/index.php?action=detail&id=21584

RAMALLAH, January 30, 2013 (WAFA) - The Executive Committee of the Palestine
Liberation Organization called on the new Israeli government that will be
formed as a result of Tuesday’s elections to start a serious political
process in order to save the peace process.

It said in a statement issued at the conclusion of its meeting held in
Ramallah on Tuesday that this, however, will require a radical change in the
next Israeli government policy.

“The launch of serious political process to save the peace process requires
a radical change in the policy of the next Israeli government,” said the
PLO.

It stressed that this requires complete halt to settlement activities,
including in East Jerusalem, release of all prisoners, acceptance of all
relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly the last one admitting the
State of Palestine as a non-member observer state of the General Assembly,
“in order to implement the two-state solution on the basis of the 1967
borders, including Jerusalem.”

The statement said that “If the Israeli government abandons its settlement
policy and undermining the two-state solution, and engages in responsible
dialogue over an alternative policy the Palestinian leadership has already
stated its balanced elements, it will be the right starting point that could
protect the peace process and re-launch it.”

The meeting, chaired by President Mahmoud Abbas, strongly criticized what it
said was Israel’s “ethnic cleansing and settlement expansion” particularly
in Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley.

The statement said: “The Government of Israel is now seeking through the
expulsion of citizens from large areas in the Jordan Valley, Silwan, Hebron
and other areas around Jerusalem, and through a comprehensive plan of land
grab by emptying the land of its residents and planting new settlements on
it to create facts that allows it to seize large parts of the West Bank to
divide it geographically in order to prevent the establishment of an
independent and contiguous Palestinian state on the June 1967 borders with
Jerusalem as its capital.”

It called on the people “to increase their resistance against this Israeli
policy of terrorism, racism and methods of ethnic cleansing used publicly
and widely.”

It called for developing models of resistance such as the model of Bab
al-Shams and Bab al-Karameh.

“The Palestinian leadership and all official institutions will provide all
forms of support available to every popular movement in all parts of the
country in order to protect our national project and our goals of freedom
and independence,” it said.

The PLO statement said “the verbal objections by key international players,
particularly the United States, against the Israeli policy of discrimination
and settlements, as well as obstructing the role of the UN Security Council
to take concrete steps and issue a binding resolution against these
policies, only encourages the extremist right-wing government of Israel to
go ahead with its racist plans to steal the land from our people and their
national rights affirmed by the international body.”

The meeting discussed as well Palestinian reconciliation urging the parties
to move ahead on national reconciliation leading to the completion of the
voter registration process in the Gaza Strip, the scheduling of elections
and begin consultations to form a transitional government of competent and
independent people.

It stressed the importance of holding a meeting for the committee that is
supposed to look into developing the PLO. The committee is scheduled to meet
in Cairo on February 9.

The PLO committee discussed as well the situation of Palestinian refugees in
Syria and called for efforts to protect the refugee camps in Syria,
especially Yarmouk refugee camp, against attacks and killings.

“The Executive Committee calls on all parties to spare Yarmouk refugee camp
and camps in Syria the enormous suffering of military actions,” said the
statement.

The statement called on “the Arab countries to implement their decisions on
the provision of financial support and provide the safety net in accordance
with the resolutions of the Arab summit in light of the ongoing Israeli
blockade which continues the process of piracy and the withholding of
Palestinian funds.”

M.S.