Statement by Ziad ABU ZAYYAD, Minister for Jerusalem Affairs, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Strasbourg, 27 June 2002

[Abstract of the verbatim report of the Assembly]

Mr ABU ZAYYAD (Minister for Jerusalem Affairs). - I thank you for inviting me to the sitting and giving us the chance to express our opinion here. I apologise on behalf of Mr Abu Ala, the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, who could not be here today, because he had to undergo heart surgery. He has asked me to convey his regards to the Assembly. Other members of the Palestinian Legislative Council who live in Gaza and the West Bank were unable to leave because of the curfew imposed on almost all the West Bank and parts of Gaza.

Seven of the nine cities on the West Bank are under total Israeli military occupation, and most are under curfew, with 2.5 million Palestinians prevented from leaving their homes, going to work or leading normal social lives. Israel has destroyed the infrastructure of the Palestinian Authority, including that of our security organisations.

Many people speak about reform. Palestinians want reform, but because of the restrictions on movement and the destruction of our security and judicial systems, as well as our economy, we will not be able to carry out any such reform.

The question is how the Palestinian National Authority or Mr Arafat are to do anything under the conditions of internal closure and the crippling of our lives. It is ridiculous to speak of reform as a condition for the resumption of negotiations. How can we conduct any reform with the Israelis in our territories and at our doors? How can we prepare for elections under those conditions? There must be immediate Israeli withdrawal from all the occupied Palestinian areas, allowing 3.5 million Palestinians to return to normal life and enable the Authority to do what we want and have to do.

Without Israeli withdrawal, enabling us to function normally, we will not be able to conduct any elections or reforms, and we cannot even negotiate with the Israelis. We need an immediate end to the incursions and a freezing of settlements in our territories.

The recent developments are very painful. There have been suicide attacks and military incursions, and there are daily victims on both sides. It is not practical to resume negotiations under such conditions. The involvement of a third party is badly needed. We need United Nations involvement, to effect separation between our people and the Israeli forces.

President Bush made a very nice speech painting a beautiful picture of the future, but he did not speak of the vehicle that is to take us from this tragic and depressing situation to that future, with a viable Palestinian state, the end of occupation and all kinds of nice things. They are very nice, but how can we get there? He speaks about a democratic state while at the same time calling for a change in the Palestinian leadership. We believe in democracy, and we need to have elections. We have set a date in January, but to prepare we need immediate Israeli withdrawal. We welcome European and international involvement and supervision of the elections, to guarantee that they are democratic.

The elections will be for the parliament and the president. If we choose our leaders, no one can tell us that it is not democratic, or say that we should choose Mr X, Mr Y or Mr Z because the Israelis or the Americans like him.

I believe that the resolution represents a withdrawal even from the previous resolution adopted by this Assembly. The committee was obsessed with balance, and facts on the ground were distorted. The situation is not accurately reflected in the resolution. Believe me, the situation today is far worse and more tragic than when the fact-finding mission came to the Middle East. I regret to say that I do not consider the report to be fair.