Democratic Palestine : 31 (ص 15)
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- Democratic Palestine : 31 (ص 15)
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and a candidate for US ambassador to
the UN.
UN SESSION ON PALESTINE
From Stockholm, Arafat went to
Geneva and addressed the UN General
Assembly on December 13th,
reiterating the PLO’s acceptance of UN
resolutions 242 and 338, as a basis for
an international peace conference, and
its condemnation of all forms of ter-
rorism. After the speech, the General
Assembly passed two resolutions
acknowledging the proclamation of the
Palestinian state, and as of December
15,1988, using the designation Palestine
in place of the PLO.
The initial US response to Arafat’s
speech was lukewarm. Charles Redman
said, «Mr. Arafat had made some in-
teresting and positive points but fell
short of meeting US conditions for
opening a dialogue with the PLO»
(UPI, December 14, 1988). Redman
added, «Arafat failed to meet any of
the conditions laid down by the United
States.» Then, on December 14th, in a
180-degree turn, the US State Depart-
ment declared that the PLO had met the
conditions for beginning a dialogue,
and that State Department officials
would meet with PLO officials in
Tunisia. The meeting between the US
ambassador in Tunisia and members of
the PLO Executive Committee took
place a few days later. Although the US
placed «terrorism» as the first item on
the agenda, the PLO put the question
of an international peace conference on
top of its agenda. The meeting was
basically an introductory one and it is
thus too early to draw conclusions
about the extent of change in US policy.
However, the reversal in the US posi-
tion on talking to the PLO, although
falling short of recognizing the PLO as
the sole legitimate representative of the
Palestinian people, is a gain, occurring
first and foremost as a result of the in-
tifada and the isolation of the US in-
ternationally on the question of dealing
with the PLO. If the US is genuinely
interested in ushering in a new era of
peace to one of the world’s most
troubled regions, it must persuade
‘Israel’ to sit down at the negotiations
table.
Undoubtedly, Arafat’s moderation
and flexibility have won him praise in
many parts of the world, unveiling once
and for all Israeli intransigence and
unwillingness to make as much as an
overture for peace. The position of the
Israeli government has not changed;
they will not talk with the PLO no
matter what the PLO says. The PLO
has been calling for the convening of an
international peace conference with the
participation of all parties involved.
There is consensus on this position in
the PLO. The peace conference is the
forum for discussing all issues, and
naturally concessions will have to be
made by both sides. The PLO is being
asked to make concessions to ‘Israel’,
while ‘Israel’ is stepping up the daily
killing, house demolition, imprison-
ment, torture, collective punishment,
deportation, etc. The US made it one of
its conditions for the PLO to recognize
‘Israel’ before opening a dialogue with
the PLO. ‘Israel’, for its part, still
refuses to recognize what the over-
whelming majority of the nations of the
world recognize, i.e., that the PLO is
the chosen representative of the
Palestinian people. The PLO is being
asked to renounce «terrorism» while
terrorism is the official Israeli policy
vis-a-vis the Palestinians. The Israeli
answer to the calls for it to cease its ag-
gression, in order to pave the way for
negotiations, is an inexorable NO. In-
stead of asking the Palestinians to stop
the intifada, which is in essence self-
defense against Israeli terror, the US
should ask ‘Israel’ to make a show of
good faith. The only obstacle to getting
peace negotiations underway is Israeli
intransigence.
At this point, it seems apparent that
the only way to pressure ‘Israel’ to
abandon terrorism and its occupation
of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, is the
consolidation and escalation of the in-
tifada, the total boycott of Israeli
goods, the refusal to pay taxes and the
resolve of the Palestinian people to
persevere in their struggle for freedom
and independence. After 13 months,
the intifada seems to be gaining even
more momentum, and the Palestinians
are more determined than ever to con-
tinue their resistance to occupation,
despite the very high price they are
paying.
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