Socialist International: Support Palestinian Diplomatic Initiatives, Recognize Palestine

PNN/ Geneva

The council of the Socialist International, meeting in Geneva on 12-13 December 2014, held discussions on the theme of International peace and security and reflected on the prospects for peace in the Middle East.

The Council recalled previous declarations of the SI, in particular the SI Council in New York in June 2010, the SI Middle East Committee (SIMEC) in June 2011 and the SI Council in Istanbul in November 2013.

Reflecting representations made by the Israeli and Palestinian member parties of the Socialist International.

The council reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, and reaffirms its commitment, in accordance with International law, to bringing an end to the Israeli occupation that started in 1967 in order to achieve the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, as two sovereign and democratic states for all their citizens and a just solution to the issue of the Palestinian refugees.

The council also expressed its support for the diplomatic initiatives in support of this right including the resumption of negotiations, and called for the international community to take urgent action to meet its political, legal and moral responsibility in this regard.

"After more than 20 years of failing to achieve peace through the bilateral peace process, we believe that the time has come for the International community to meet its responsibility under international law to bring an end to the occupation and all impediments to the exercise by the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination," council said in a statement.

Recalling our 2011 Athens Council declaration on the Middle East, whereby council called for the recognition of the State of Palestine if negotiations failed, the SI called upon all its members to:

1. Support the immediate unconditional recognition of the State of Palestine on the 1967 border with East Jerusalem as its capital. Self-determination in an independent Palestine on the 1967 border is a recognized legal right of the Palestinian people. In case that a SI member is a member of her national government, it will be the SI member's duty to ensure the recognition of the State of Palestine.

2. To support a greater international role through an international conference that will include various international actors from different regions in order to push for a just and lasting peace based on international law for Israel and Palestine, including ending the occupation that began in 1967.

3. To support the Palestinian initiative at the UN Security Council to set a deadline of two years to end the Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine.

4. To support a total freeze of settlement activities, the destruction of homes and the deportation of Palestinians.

5. Encourage the non-violent approach at all levels and by all parties and to demand the immediate cessation of all forms of violence by the Israeli army and settlers against the Palestinian non-violent resistance and the end of all Israeli settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories including Jerusalem.

6. To support the immediate lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip and the initiation of immediate and full reconstruction there.

Source - http://english.pnn.ps/index.ph...-recognize-palestine