The Palestinian people are determined to follow South Africa's steps towards freedom, sovereignty and independence, writes President Mahmoud Abbas.
The Palestinian people are proud of the historic and strong bonds of relations with the people of South Africa. They are looking towards South Africa as a model from which we draw lessons and inspiration, to continue our march to achieve a just and comprehensive peace and regain our rights of self determination and establishment of independent state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.
I would like to reaffirm our deep pride of the historic relations between our two peoples, which were established many years ago during our common struggle for justice and freedom, which gave birth to the new South Africa. South Africa's policies against all forms of human rights violations and its role in support of political and economic stability and conflict resolution in Africa is testimony to the leading role of South Africa and its leadership.
South Africa's great achievements in lifting the injustice perpetuated against your people, marked by the historic defeat of apartheid, is a unique human achievement which lead to political and economic stability and equality regardless of colour, race and religion.
The Palestinian people have and still continue to sacrifice and suffer tremendously to obtain their freedom. The Palestinian people are living under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions, where they are subjected to all kinds of torture, siege, suffocation and confiscation of land by Israel, the occupying force. These aggressive and illegal practices are aimed at establishing its illegal settlement in our land and to undermine the peace process and all the regional and international initiatives to revive it.
It seeks to destroy our National Authority and the recent Israeli military aggression against the city of Jericho. Its crime of kidnapping the Palestinian prisoners is clear evidence of Israel's intentions to ignore and disregard all the signed international agreements.
The participation and advice [of South Africa] is essential under these complex and difficult circumstances and we are confident that, with our dear friend President Thabo Mbeki and members of his government, we can reach common positions, through which we can push towards reviving the peace process in our region. We Palestinians are very keen and interested in learning more about your experience that will help us to advance the political process in the Middle East.
We welcome any effort that your government would make and we assure you, that despite all our suffering, we will remain committed to all peace initiatives and continue to be responsible and objective in positively responding to all regional and international efforts and initiatives aimed at reviving and protecting the peace process, despite Israeli obstruction of the negotiation process to replace it with the iron fist and unilateral policies, which we vehemently reject. We demand that these policies cease immediately as they intend to draw and define the final solution unilaterally.
We have agreed to the Road Map sponsored by the Quartet Committee. The government of Israel, however, has put forward 14 reservations on this plan and has relied on its force and influence to continue expansionist policies and oppression against our people. It has misled the world by creating the impression that there is no Palestinian partner to negotiate with. We are ready start the negotiations immediately and to implement all the United Nations (UN) resolutions and signed agreements. The real obstacle is the obstinate Israeli stance from the one side and the lack of effective intervention by the international community from the other.
It is unacceptable to use the victory of Hamas in the elections of the second Palestinian Legislative Council as an excuse to increase the Israeli aggression against our people and punish our people for their democratic choice.
I would like to call upon all peace and freedom loving people in the world to exert all necessary efforts to stop the Israeli aggression and to implement all the signed agreements and the relevant UN resolutions. That will lead to the establishment of our independent Palestinian state in all the territories occupied by Israel in June 1967 - so as to accomplish the desired peace, which can ensure stability and security to all the people in the region, including Israel, and would allow our people to live freely, with dignity, sovereignty and independence on its Palestinian soil.
We have learned from your struggle that peace is possible when justice and equality prevail. No matter how powerful the enemy is, it cannot defeat the will and determination of the people to live free and dignified. As much as we wish to live in peace with our Israeli neighbours, we are determined in upholding our national rights in our country, to reach the day when we have a free, independent and democratic Palestine, which will contribute towards the stability and prosperity or the Middle East.
The extent of the suffering of our people is beyond imagination and words, either on the economic level, [with respect to] freedom of movement, or the ghettos that are being imposed on our people, who live in isolated areas surrounded by either Jewish settlements or by the Israeli military forces. Specific roads and routes are being designed for settlers that are forbidden to Palestinians.
May I once again congratulate you for your achievements in South Africa. We are determined to follow your steps towards freedom, sovereignty and independence. We will remain together until we have liberated Palestine and we will defend the freedom of others as we defend ours.
President Mahmoud Abbas is Chair of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and President of the Palestinian National Authority. This is an edited version of his address to a joint sitting of the South African Parliament on 31 March 2006.
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