|
|
|
| Current Issue |
|
|
| Resources |
|
|
|
The Mideast Peace Conference: Palestinians Deserve a Voice
| Article
# : |
19628 |
|
|
Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
|
| Issue
Date : |
10 / 1991 |
2,051 Words |
| Author
: |
Muhammad Hallaj
Muhammad Hallaj, former academic vice president of Birzeit
University in the West Bank, is currently the director of the
Palestine Research and Educational Center in Fairfax, Virginia. |
Once again, efforts are under way to deny the Palestinians their day in court. A formula is being sought to ensure Palestinian presence which falls short of representation--by imposing restrictions on that presence--at a peace conference in which they have the highest stake because it will not only serve to define their interest, it will determine their fate. Once again Palestinians are being treated as the children of a lesser god by being denied that which is conceded all others: the right to choose their own representatives. It is not unfair, it is also counterproductive.
Not very long ago, Israelis questioned the existence of the Palestinian people. When such arrogance became embarrassing, they raised the issue as to who really represents the Palestinians. Today, the latest version of the Israeli effort is to question the right of the Palestinian representatives to participate in political negotiations at the center of which are the fate of the Palestinian people and the future of their land. The question changes: Do the Palestinians exist? Who represents them? Should the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) be allowed to participate in Palestinian-Israeli peace talks? But the purpose is the same: The Palestinians are to be sentenced, again in absentia. Who should represent the Palestinians is a question that has been inflated into the most serious and abrasive issue in the search for Arab-Israeli peace. It has emerged as the proverbial Gordian knot in the way of the proposed peace process. Yet, it is controversy only because Israel chooses to make it into one.
The PLO should be invited to Arab-Israeli peace negotiations for compelling reasons. (1) It has legitimate claims as spokesman for the Palestinians. No one else has or claims to have such legitimacy. (2) It is the only Palestinian political body that enjoys mandate, the constituency, the organization, the leadership, and the resources to reach and enforce a peace agreement with Israel on behalf of the Palestinians. In other words, on moral as well as practical political grounds, in terms of who has the legitimate claim to speak for the Palestinians as well as in terms of who can deal on their behalf, the PLO should be invited to speak for the Palestinians in any negotiations intended to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Only the government of Israel has a problem with the fact that the PLO is the legitimate representative of the Palestinians. It is not even supported by a majority of the Israeli public, which according to repeated polls agrees that Israel should negotiate with the PLO if it expresses readiness to make peace with
...
Read Full Article
Look for this article in Ask.com
|
|
