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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 August 2000 Issue No. 493 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 August 2000 Issue No. 493
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Remember the basics
By Farouq Qaddoumi *
When the was signed, it was expected that the Israelis would implement the items they had acquiesced to within two years. Unfortunately, they failed to do so. Five years passed and the main issues were left hanging. By now, one would have thought, the Palestinians would have moved from a state of exile to sovereignty. Despite UN General Assembly Resolution 181, Israel was established and the Palestinian state was not. The international community support the existence of a Palestinian state, which would guarantee Israel's security. Declaring a state unilaterally should not require an agreement with Israel.
Camp David II failed because the Palestinians committed themselves to implementing the agreement they had signed, in accordance with the basic principle of the process: land for peace.
The terms of reference of the peace process should not be overlooked. The Israelis, and the Americans who support them, have to face those terms. Security Council Resolution 242 is the basis for the negotiations. The return of refugees to their homes, the dismantling of settlements in accordance with Security Council Resolution 465, withdrawal from Jerusalem, water and borders are not open to bargaining. Security Council and General Assembly resolutions must be respected and enforced: Resolution 181 for the establishment of the state; and Resolution 194 for the return of refugees (on which a special committee made up of the US, France and Turkey was even set up). It is therefore necessary for Israel to act in accordance with the basis that was agreed upon to start the negotiations -- in an initiative launched by former US President George Bush.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is the Palestinian foreign minister.
