PALESTINIAN RECONCILIATION A POSITIVE STEP FORWARD - PLO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

By Nor Faridah Abd Rashid

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 (Bernama) -- Describing it as a positive step towards
Palestinian national unity, Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) Executive
Committee member Dr Hanan Ashrawi has welcomed the agreement between Fatah and
Hamas on reconciliation and future elections.

"The division between Fatah and Hamas has been enormously destructive and
self-defeating for Palestinians. This agreement represents a positive step
towards Palestinian reconciliation and national unity, which are absolutely
crucial to the success of our struggle for freedom and statehood against the
status quo of Israeli occupation, colonisation and apartheid," she said.

It is also a significant victory for democracy in the region, said Dr
Ashrawi in a statement made available to Bernama by the Palestinian Embassy here
Friday.

She pointed out that genuine reconciliation and democratic elections were
aimed at empowering the Palestinian people, which was precisely why Israel
opposed the agreement.

"The Israeli Government did not want to deal with a united Palestinian
national movement. Instead, its strategy is one of ‘divide and conquer’," said
Dr Ashrawi, who is also a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).

"Previously, the Israeli Government claimed it did not have a partner for
peace because Palestinians were divided. Now, with Palestinians on the verge
of achieving national unity, the same government is saying that President
(Mahmoud) Abbas must choose between peace with Israel or peace with Hamas, but
that he cannot have both," she said.

Dr Ashrawi said that Hamas was part of the Palestinian political landscape
and part of a Palestinian pluralistic and inclusive democracy and just as
importantly, Palestinian reconciliation made a positive contribution to peace
and stability in the region.

"What makes Israel’s response all the more absurd is that this Israeli
Government has done all it can to sabotage efforts towards peace, starting with
its refusal to cease all settlement activities,” she said.

She pointed out that the Palestinian leadership had a responsibility to the
Palestinian people and that its mandate was to represent their wishes and
safeguard their rights.

"It is not for Israel to dictate the terms of Palestinian politics, or to
determine whom the Palestinian people can and cannot elect.”

Dr Ashrawi called on the international community to respond positively to
Palestinian reconciliation.

Amid the dismal failures of the so-called “peace process” and American
efforts to re-start negotiations, Palestinian reconciliation presents a
significant opportunity to change the prevailing dynamic.

"It is an opportunity that the international community should embrace and
use to re-build momentum by supporting democratic development in Palestine and
throughout the region. It also supports the cause of peace and stability," she
added.

She said Palestinians faced enormous challenges to win back “our rights
and freedom against a state bent on maintaining its occupation, building more
settlements, and denying Palestinian refugees their fundamental rights.”

"We cannot face these challenges except as one people united by a common
vision and a shared determination to persist and overcome. Genuine peace is
built on such a vision and determination, and on international law,” she said.

Dr Ashrawi said that the hopes of many Palestinians rested on the success of
reconciliation efforts.

"The challenge ahead is for all Palestinians to ensure the success of these
efforts, and for the international community to grasp this opportunity,” she
noted.