Speaking before the UN General Assembly, Amr Moussa delivers an ultimatum to the international community on Palestine Two years ago (September 2006), the UN Security Council convened at the request of the member states of the Arab League with the goal of reviving the Middle East peace process, which was paralysed and ineffective. The meeting was held at the ministerial level and recorded a clear consensus on the necessity to revive the peace process with the expressed goal of establishing a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, of course with East Jerusalem as its capital. The meeting also recorded the unanimity on reviving peace negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive peace that terminates the occupation of the Arab lands leading to the establishment of normal relations between the Arabs and the Israelis and for all sides to live in peace and security. That initiative marked the second peace proposal that the Arab side undertook after the Arab peace initiative of 2002. Our efforts led to reviving the peace process. This time our message was heeded by the US administration. Hence, came the invitation to Annapolis, a conference that underlined four objectives: - The reaffirmation of President Bush's promise to have a viable Palestinian state established by the end of 2008. - Resumption of active negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. - Immediate and complete halt of settlement activities as was specified in the roadmap plan for peace. - Achieving a comprehensive peace that includes all three tracks, Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese. Regrettably, most of these objectives have not been attained. Three months remain of 2008 and there is no evidence that the establishment of the promised Palestinian state is at hand. Further, negotiations have not produced any agreement. Nothing has been written nor formally proposed. The Israeli side has utterly refused to put anything in written form. This confirms the absence of political will on the Israeli side to accept the prospect of a real, viable Palestinian state on an equal footing with Israel. It seems that the Israeli objective is to substitute photo opportunities and protracted meetings for the proactive and productive negotiations required to achieve peace. The continuation of the situation will have serious negative repercussions on regional security as on the prospects of a comprehensive Arab- Israeli peace. Furthermore, while Palestinian and Israeli representatives were engaged in those sessions, the Israelis were busy building settlements and changing the demographic composition and geographical character of the occupied Palestinian territories, thus rendering negotiations irrelevant. As for the understanding in Annapolis that settlement activities shall stop, that the so-called outposts shall be removed, that hundreds of roadblocks that make the life of the Palestinian population miserable shall be lifted, nothing of these commitments was honoured. It should be noted that these commitments were part of the first phase of the roadmap plan. As for the comprehensive nature of the peace process, although we follow with interest current Syrian/Israeli indirect talks under Turkish auspices, many of us do not entertain much hope of achieving significant progress because of the same reasons -- the Israeli refusal to bear the responsibilities of peace and the greed for territory and settlements. We went to the Security Council today to underline that the consolidation and escalation of Israeli settlement policies and practices in the occupied territories have reached a point capable of killing any hope for a viable Palestinian state. Today we ask: How can we expect a viable state in territories dissected by illegal settlements, threatened by violent settlers, divided by roads dedicated to settlers and settlements alone at the expense of Palestinian territorial integrity, adjacency and economic and social viability? How can we expect a viable state with the continued Israeli practices in and around Jerusalem, including excavations in holy sites and Bab Al-Magharba in particular, and other construction projects around Al-Aqsa Mosque, in clear violation of international law, including humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention? We see hope for a fair peace evaporating because of the lack of intent and political will by the Israeli political elite and ruling class. We see prospects of a viable Palestinian state diminishing because of the irresponsible and frantic policy of building settlements. Settlements are illegal all the way. Unfortunately, this Israeli policy has been allowed to come into being and continue unabated by the immunity given to Israeli practices vis-à-vis international law. We came to the Security Council to caution and warn that the current situation cannot lead to anything but chaos, violence, hatred and the disappearance of the remaining traces of the spirit of peace. Israeli settlement activities in the occupied territories have made a Palestinian state a mere mirage that serves as a moving carrot offered to the Arabs to keep running after until they discover the illusion and that there is no place for a Palestinian state. This sinister scenario has made several circles start looking for alternatives to the dream of the two-state solution. The Arab community of nations continues, until now, to abide by the terms of our peace initiative. We continue to offer the hand of peace to the Israelis. We invite the Israeli people, who should be stakeholders of peace, as all of us on the Arab side, to reconsider, to revisit the Arab offer of peace as contained in the Arab Peace Initiative that was formally presented to the government of Israel by two representatives of the Arab League, the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan. We call on the Israeli people, again as stakeholders of peace, to mobilise against the destructive settlement policy. We call on them to have faith in peace as the gateway to security and prosperity and stable existence and coexistence with the Arab world. We need no more bloodshed, we need no more occupation; we need no more settlements and no more civilian casualties. What we need is more seriousness in tackling the Arab-Israeli conflict. What we need is an honest broker ready to lead the work. If Arab efforts to rescue the peace process do not succeed and prove to be an exercise in futility, we will go to the Security Council for action. This body is owned by the international community and cannot remain indifferent or shirk its responsibilities as the principal organ of the United Nations responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, It is the responsibility of the Security Council to protect the legitimate rights of peoples, and in this case the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. Hesitation by the council for known reasons would open the door for other venues to be explored. We shall no longer follow illusions, believe promises or tolerate insults to our intelligence and to our self-respect.
