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Al-Ahram Weekly 17 - 23 June 1999 Issue No. 434 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 17 - 23 June 1999 Issue No. 434
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Living Travel Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Righting wrongs in Geneva
By Sherine BahaaFollowing a two-day meeting in Cairo, members of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People emphasised the importance of holding a conference in Switzerland on 15 July to enforce the rules of the Fourth Geneva Convention in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem.
The Geneva Convention, signed 50 years ago, governs the treatment of civilians in time of war and under foreign occupation. The convention bans usurpation of land by an occupying power, mistreatment of civilians or any sort of collective punishment.
It is of "utmost importance" that the Geneva conference go ahead, according to Palestinian Minister of Planning Nabil Shaath, who addressed the opening session of the UN Committee meeting. The conference, which would be the first of its kind since the signing of the Geneva Convention, will prove that Israeli settlement activity in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 has been in violation of international humanitarian law.
The United States and Israel have strongly opposed the convening of the Geneva conference, which was recommended by a sweeping majority of members of the UN General Assembly in February. The vote was 139-3, with 13 abstentions. Israel, the United States and Micronesia were the only states to vote against. In statements made last month, US Vice President Al Gore said that Washington will do everything it can to make sure the Geneva meeting does not take place. The United States has traditionally opposed any UN or international meetings on the rights of the Palestinian people, insisting that direct negotiations between the parties involved were the only way to achieve tangible results.
Israel, on the other hand, still insists that the West Bank and Gaza are not occupied territory, but Jewish land. Thus, the Geneva Convention, which was signed by Israel, does not apply to the Palestinian land "reclaimed" in 1967.
The Geneva conference was originally scheduled to take place on 15 April, but it was postponed until July after Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decision to hold early general elections.
The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian people was first formed in 1976 by the General Assembly. The meeting held in Cairo on Monday and Tuesday was aimed at preparing the arguments that will be presented at the Geneva conference, "which we hope will be held on time as scheduled, despite the American stand," Shaath said.
Ibra Deguene Ka, Chairman of the Committee, described the aim of the 1949 Geneva Convention as being "to prescribe rules to mitigate the hardship and suffering imposed on civilian populations, not only at times of hostilities per se, but also after a cease-fire or truce, when civilians can be subjected to military occupation in the absence of a final political settlement."
For Shaath, the convention is of no value if it cannot be enforced. "If this convention can be successfully applied in one very specific case in which there is international consensus about Palestine, then international humanitarian law will be able to provide protection, not only to the Palestinians, but to the rest of humanity wherever they suffer from the encroachment of war and occupation."
Israeli soldiers guard bulldozers working on a settlement at Jebel Abu Ghneim in Arab East Jerusalem. Construction work in the area began in 1997. Jewish settlement activity will be the main topic on the agenda of an international conference to be held in Geneva on 15 July (photo: AFP)
Egypt's Assistant Foreign Minister Sayed El-Masri, who also addressed the opening session of the UN Committee meeting, pointed to the disappointment of the international community at the resumption in settlement building only a few days after the Israeli elections.
"The international community was optimistic and expected to witness a new era of peace after the victory of Labour Party leader Ehud Barak," said El-Masri. "But resuming work in Abu Ghneim, Ras Amoud and expanding the Maali Adumim settlement have renewed fears o the destructive impact of settlement policy on the peace process."
El-Masri thus ruled out any possibility of postponing the conference. "The conference was postponed from 15 April to 15 July, for the Israeli elections. But I disagree with those who say that the convening of the conference would affect the formation of the new Israeli government or the establishment of new agendas. On the contrary, I believe it will be a boost to pro-peace power in the world."
In statements to reporters, Shaath said that the launching of the peace process in Madrid in 1991 and the signing of the 1993 Oslo agreement did not prevent Israel from pursuing its policy of building more Jewish settlements or the confiscation of Palestinian land and the demolition of houses. That is why, he added, convening the Geneva meeting would send a message to Israel that the whole international community is opposed to its settlement policy.
However, Shaath added that newly-elected Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak still had a chance to avoid a political confrontation at the Geneva conference. "If Mr Barak declared on 15 July morning a total end to settlement activity, the meeting will go on, but not as an occasion for political confrontation. We want it to set rules and mechanisms to make the Geneva Convention work," reiterated Shaath.
Shaath concluded that a decision to postpone next month's conference would be a direct signal to the people of Palestine "to use only violent action to protect their land from Israeli mutilation."
