Workers Daily Internet Edition Year 2002 No. 194

Year 2002 No. 194, October 31, 2002	ARCHIVE	HOME	SEARCH	SUBSCRIBE

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30/10/2002

Official Translation, 29/10/2002

Ladies and Gentlemen

Today we meet again in this Council, on this sacred land, in order to present you the Fourth Palestinian Cabinet since the presidential and legislative elections of 1996.

Let us pose and rethink for a moment, but continue with this magnificent inter-Palestinian dialogue, the heritage of our democratic traditions and our daily bread. To know where from we commenced, where are we now and where we are heading, in order not to lose our vision miss the way and let down our own people. The whole world is watching us, so are our Arab Nation, and neighbours. Despite all the difficulties we are facing we will fulfil our national target and safeguard our legitimacy and the political order we established.

It was aimed to scatter our people around the world, as immigrants and refugees, have Palestinians deprived in their own land, lost with no address. However, today our people are united around one cause. This cause is now at the centre of the international agenda. Your cause has risen due to the national struggle of our people, and its magnificent steadfastness, which has astonished the whole world. It is now at the heart of the international consciousness and a symbol of global justice in our times.

Even though we started out as a revolution, the most difficult one, then we become an authority on liberated parts of our land, carrying the elements and requirements of a State, yet the strategic goal of this beleaguered and bloodied march, supported with heroism and bravery was and remains the establishment of the independent Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital. This sole legal goal that received unanimous support from the world that believes its attainment to be close. We know this with certainty all along.

We would like to know, and remind ourselves of where did we start and where we are now, so that nobody would forget at this great moment, or looses sight. It seems that we look sometimes like the legendary hero Prometheus, carrying his rock to the top of the mountain, but always go back where he started to carry it up again.

However, our resurrection from the midst of destruction and flames like the phoenix provided us more and more with this spirit and with this sacred fire. It’s the source of our strength and our steadfastness. It’s the spirit that blows energy and power into the Palestinian people, The "Jabbarin" people, who has realised with its steadfastness, sacrifices, efforts, heroism and resistance that no other people could bear and has given the example of determination in seeking freedom. Our people deserve our gratitude. We should bow in respect for its fortitude at the most critical of moments.

Palestinians,

I salute you my people, my glorious people wherever you are, in the heroic Jenin (Jeningrad), Nablus, Tulkarm, Qalquilia, Tubas, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jerusalem, Gaza, Khan Younis, and Rafah, in the Diaspora, in the refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, in all places all over the world. I salute your commitment, steadfastness and solidarity till the day of independence, which is not far away.

Palestinians,

They failed to suppress your imagination or your dream. They will not succeed in carving defeat on your consciousness or in the conscious of this generation, whose symbol is "Fares Odeh". That march was continuous, persistent to overcome the impossible and to defeat this "impossible" at the same time. We should not grieve for that. (You shall not grieve or weaken as you will prevail). From the outset, we had to accept our fate and willingly pay the price paid by all peoples in return for their yearning for dignity and freedom.

We had to find our way by ourselves and to be our own teachers and to learn from our errors. The dead only never errs. We have had to pass through bitter experiences, to fall and stand up again. In the beginning, we had to resurrect the people’s power, its unity, and its solidarity around its cause after the Nakbah. We managed to move our people from refugees to freedom fighters, from a vanguard revolution to a great liberation movement, from a revolution to an authority, and from Authority to the State.

At this juncture, they want to obstruct the historic Palestinian flow, to destroy the National Authority when it became so close at hand. At the threshold of our state, they intend to wage a fatal strike to our Palestinian march in hopes to divert it backwards.
Our Palestinian people stands steadfast in this planned savage war when we were so close to achieve the honourable peace for both of us and a historic reconciliation. At that very moment, they killed the Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, the man and the partner, who realised, as a soldier and a statesman, the real dimension of the conflict. Rabin realised that, in this kind of conflict, there is no place for a military solution, but rather for dialogue and for the power of words, which is stronger than any organised violence or war.

In the climax of this war, they succeeded in reoccupying our lands, cities and villages. They shredded to pieces the agreements we signed together. They even declared the end of our agreements in public. They prevented our children from joining their schools. Where can this happen in the entire world? They impede our farmers from harvesting their olives. They destroyed our buildings, streets and development projects including, the Bethlehem 2000 project and the Gaza Airport. They bulldozed the fertile farms and fields; they created fields of thorns where olive orchards thrived. They are doing what colons do when their hour is about to arrive, "close to the sunset"; they exercise violence that is more cruel and lethal in their attempt to break our people’s will. We’ve lost more than 2500 people as martyrs, one third of them were children and 85% of them were civilians. We’ve had tens of thousands of injures, and more than 30 thousands detainees, ten thousands of them still in the Israeli prisons.

They have done every thing, even thing that cannot be imagined, in a world that ended the legacy of barbarous war. They are ready to kill prisoners, to assassinate them after detaining them, thus going back to the dark ages, rejected by all humanity. They’ve practised every possible atrocity, till the point that their defence minister said that they ran out of military option. What have they not done? F16 jet planes, Apaches, Mercava tanks, bombardment, assassinations and assaults against the Palestinian cities? More than 60 assaults were waged against some cities. In the Gaza Strip, and since last February, 45 incursions were registered. Several massacres took place in Khan Younis, Rafah, and Jabalia, al-Daraj Neighbourhood, Jenin and Nablus.

Doing all of this, including their siege against me in my headquarters (The Mokataa), and destroying the offices building, they have also come to a conclusion, answering the question: what were the results, and where are they heading. They tried to hurt us and make us suffer, talking about victory and defeat, in a public and arrogant manner. We were described as a cancer by their Chief of Staff. I know as you know how much have our people suffered. And how much have we both suffered. The knife is still on the Palestinian people’s neck. But the big stake possessed by Israel is faced by Palestinian heroism, which is the miracle of the Palestinian people, especially their children, whose symbol is "Fares Oudeh", the Palestinian David. This great Palestinian people, emerged, and rush out in that darkness, in that magnificent night as "the army of the night" that Franz Fanon talked about in his book "The wretched of the earth", The new rush "wretched of the earth" rushed in the darkness beating the drams of freedom, singing the hymns of liberty of the Palestinian people, and its rejection of oppression and indignity. They emerged with their heads high in the sky, men and women, old men and children, lead by the Palestinian Woman, the guard of our everlasting fire, here in the streets of heroic Ramallah, in Toulkarm, Jenin, Qalquilia, Bethlehem, Gaza, Jerusalem and Hebron. The Palestinian people rushed to the streets to defend its national project and to overthrow all the balances of power.

They re-occupied the land and the cities, but failed to occupy our consciousnesses and will. They could not break our determination, or defeat our imagination and our spirit. This is there shame, for which they deserve the denunciation of the entire world. It’s the source of our pride and our strength, because we feel no more that we are alone. The whole world is listening to the voice of the Palestinian people, the voice that enlightens the dark. The world supports our cause and not to theirs. Then what is their cause? And why are they still waging this mad war against us? Is it to force us to abandon our quest freedom, our independence, and our independent state? I ask the Israeli people:

Israelis,

What do you want to achieve from fighting, and this war?

Where are you heading? Do you want security? Well, we want to live with you side by side as neighbours, good neighbours, where no sea, ocean, river or mountains separate us; as a wall that is even longer than the Berlin Wall will not be an alternative to goodwill. The line separating us is called the Green Line so let us reach a joint understanding about the concept of security that both of us are yearning for – Security for you and for us. Is your security attainable only by eliminating our dream and our right to live in this land? Can your security be achieved only by undermining our will, oppressing our people, reoccupying our land, and deporting us from it, pursuing illegal settlement activities, denying our children access to schools, denying our mothers access to hospitals, demolishing our houses and bulldozing our fields?

We acknowledged the existence of your state on 78% of historic Palestine and accepted to establish our state on the remaining 22% of this land. So, why are you chasing and driving us out of that small land? Your government is racing against time to establish as much as it can of illegal settlements to make them thorns and spikes in the heart of our tiny state. Your government is doing all it can to prevent the emergence of our state; it nullified mutual agreements signed between us under the witness of the whole world. Why are you going this way while you are fully aware that it leads to destruction of both of us? Do you want to be in a state of war all the time? Can you persevere on this track? Or would you prefer to coexist with us as one family and achieve reconciliation between our peoples in this land, the cradle of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, in which they grew and enlightened the whole world. The followers of the three monotheistic faiths – sons of Abraham - have been living there since the early dawn of history without any type of discrimination. I would like to remind you that a rich heritage of reconciliation and coexistence has prevailed throughout our history and has endured longer than the short age of our wars.

Israeli People,

We have decided to live with you side by side as neighbours. We do not want to drive you out of this land. Our rejection of occupation does not entail rejecting you or refusing to accept to live with you. We extend to you our hand of reconciliation and a an olive branch to resume the track we started in Madrid and Oslo in order to bring occupation to an end; to establish our independent Palestinian state and to achieve an honourable peace for our two peoples, for your children and our children. Peace is our strategic option. We will not drop this option albeit the voices we hear in your side to cancel the agreements and to expel us. You ought to be fully aware that struggle for national liberation is our legitimate right – We will never concede our right to independence and freedom. Our struggle is not driven by spite or revenge. We call upon you to perceive the wisdom that no people can occupy another people and live peacefully at the same time.

We appreciate the rational voices amongst you that call for an end to this conflict and the return to peaceful solutions. This unjust and unjustified war that you are waging against our civilian people has caused you to loose world opinion that was once admiring you. You have lost your economy that was once your great achievement and source of pride. You gained nothing in return. You mostly lost your image as viewed by yourself and the whole world. You have turned your army to a mere contractor assigned to demolish our houses and bulldoze our fields. Shame on you! You committed war crimes against our civilians in Jenin, Khan Younis, Rafa, Gaza and many other Palestinian cities. This should make you feel ashamed.

I call upon you to stop that and raise your voices loudly against these massacres that fuel hate and spite between us. Stop before it is too late; it is simply harmful to you as much, if not more, than it is to us.

I have announced many times before you and I would like to reiterate that to you, to my people, and the whole world that we are against all types of violence that target civilians, Palestinian or Israeli civilians. I reiterate my announcements and declare that every human being has a sacred right to life. We respect this right for Israelis and Palestinians. We condemn all terrorist acts against civilians anywhere worldwide. Such an attitude emanates from our values and ethics. It is our political and human attitude that we do not consider such acts a way to solve political problems.

We must be more frank. It is unfortunate that your government has always been escalating violence whenever we attempt to calm the situation and exert real control. Your government and army have opted to strike our security forces in order to weaken us so that they render us incapable of implementing our obligations. Do you recall what your government did when we managed to reach an agreement among our different political parties and popular movements to bring acts targeting civilians to an end? It bombed a crowded residential neighbourhood under the pretext of assassinating a certain person. Such an act is solely aimed to escalate violence, and it unfortunately succeeded many times.

Your government has been working hard to make both of us fail; this is a fact. Instead of rectifying this attitude, it proceeded in its incitement and manipulation campaign against the Palestinian leadership and against me in person in order to lead you to the conclusion that there is no Palestinian partner on the other side. Why is it launching such a campaign? The answer is simply to set free the hands of your army to undermine the Palestinian Authority, the peace process and the project that I started jointly with my partner, Rabin, to achieve a historic reconciliation between our peoples.

Brothers and Sisters,

While I am addressing the Israeli People in this frank statement, I am similarly addressing the Palestinian People. I say to you Palestinians, despite all the suffering and pain, I don’t see any dead-end but light at the end of the tunnel. At the end of the road, there is nothing impossible, I see hope, since we have no other choice. We are prohibited from moving backward, but to always continue to look forward. Peace is possible, and coexistence on this land with our neighbours is possible too. We will not tear up the agreements, despite what they say and do. We should not lose our balance and nerves. This conflict is the historic test of our reliability, strength, fortitude, values and ethics.

Palestinians, in the Homeland & Diaspora:

The whole world recognises our rights, and there is a unanimity regarding the Palestinian state. The Palestinian cause is at the heart of the international agenda, which is a great achievement. The debate now is focusing on withdrawal of occupation from the territory of the Palestinian state. We should look to the future with hope and optimism, and we should work hard to realise our prime national goal, the embodiment of the independent state, in order to contribute to human civilisation. The Palestinians on this holy land have the right to feel proud of this land and its contribution to the religious, cultural and human dimensions based on the believe what is right and good, forgiveness and justice.

Palestinians, the world has understood you, and our message has reached it, you expressed your rejection of occupation. This is the aim of your struggle. The world honours our struggle to achieve this goal. We should not listen to sceptical voices. This difficult situation is the last quarter of The Hour; it’s the bottle’s neck. It is not evidence of the failure of our national project, but evidence of our resurrection, strength, heroism and will. This struggle is the anthem of independence; its goal is justice, and an end to occupation.

However, the world understanding and solidarity with us requires us to engage in a candid re-assessment of our methods and performance, in order to maintain our allies and gain more friends, and to prove to the whole world the reliability and credibility of our commitments and our seriousness, and that of our massage to all, including our Israeli neighbours.

Ladies & Gentlemen, Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council,

This is our vision related to the conflict, to peace and to the rights of our people. In order to get out of the conflict and move forward to the horizons of a shining future, I would like to present to you the general guidelines for the program of our fourth government:

1 - Continuing the national struggle for independence, freedom, and for ending the occupation, as being the goal, which unifies all Palestinians and forms the governing political framework for all their political and civil actions, in order to realise the establishment of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and to attain the return of refugees. It is based on our commitment to the strategy of comprehensive and just peace, and on our solemn determination to reactivate the peace process in order to achieve this goal.

2 - Work on strengthening our national steadfastness and on eliminating the suffering of our Palestinian people, including tackling the social and economic problems resulting from the occupation, as well as, putting efforts to safeguard Jerusalem and the holy sites, to stand against the settlements, to protect the detainees as a first step toward their liberation, and to provide international protection to our People.

3 - Maintaining the national unity based on our democratic traditions and political achievements and in the framework of one authority and maintaining the rule of law. Also, strengthening democratic processes through holding legislative, presidential and local elections under international monitoring to ensure utmost transparency, fairness, and credibility. To continue internal reforms in all aspects, mainly security, justice and management of public finance. To repair and reconstruct what the Israeli occupation has destroyed and to rehabilitate the Palestinian economic infrastructure and to strengthen the national institutions in preparation for establishing the future independent Palestinian State.

4 - Enhancing our Arab, Islamic and International relationships, and strengthening our international alliances in a manner serving our objectives.

Now, allow me to present this program item by item

First: Continuing National Struggle for Independence & Continuation of Peace Strategy

We shall continue defending our national program, based on freedom, independence, and the ending of occupation until establishment of the Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital within the borders of June 4th 1967, and attaining a just solution to the refugee issue based on international legitimacy. The international legitimacy has provided the solid basis for such solutions as represented in the Security Council Resolutions 242, 338, 1397, 1402, 1403 and 1435. In addition, the Arab Peace Initiative based on the initiative of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Abdulla Bin Abdul Aziz, of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia added a pivotal Arab dimension that was approved by the Beirut Summit and its significance was acknowledged in subsequent international initiatives.

We are committed to this initiative and these resolutions. Also, we are seriously and positively discussing the proposal submitted by the Quartet Committee, which is based on President Bush’s speech of 26.4.2002, on the European Initiative together with Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions. We support every Arab and international action that contributes to ending the Israeli occupation and re-opening the door to the peace process and to the building of the Palestinian state. The Palestinian People’s Intifada and the refusal of occupation and the settlements do not mean in any way the refusal of a just and comprehensive peace. On the contrary, peace is our strategic option, as well as the option of our Arab brothers and the option of the whole world.

We should wisely and carefully consider the best means to defend our program, based on our right to resist occupation, the right which is guaranteed by all international laws and conventions. These means must be based upon the human and moral values and cultural uniqueness, which our People carry sharing with the world all these human achievements.

It is prohibited to scratch the spirit of our struggle by targeting civilians, so that enemies of peace are prevented from harming the noble and heroic content of our struggle. I repeatedly denounce this position. Our struggle is neither revenge nor a vengeance, but the most noble human struggle for freedom and peace. We must maintain this potential strength, and accordingly, this government will do its utmost to stop any divergence from the values of our noble struggle.

Secondly: Work on Strengthening National Steadfastness, Alleviate the Suffering of our People and Providing Protection for them

Our continued struggle to realise our national program and a just and comprehensive peace requires putting all efforts to strengthen the steadfastness of our people, alleviate their suffering and work on providing international protection for them. I have lived under this blockade for one whole year like the rest of the sons of this nation and under the threat to be killed similar to the rest of my people. As much as I wished for martyrdom and refused to surrender, I took inspiration from the steadfastness of my people. I know what my people are suffering; I feel it in my body and in my conscience. I feel the wounds of children and the pain of mothers; the insults old people are faced with at checkpoints, starvation and the inability of sick people to reach hospitals. I feel immense pain when I see families displaced from homes destroyed in Rafah, Khan Yunis, Tulkarem and Qalqilya. I feel sorrow when I see olive trees being uprooted and when settlers prohibit farmers from picking their olive trees in the villages of Nablus. I feel fear for the children of Jerusalem as they climb mountains under fire in order to reach their schools. I realise that only for the solidarity of Palestinian families, our people would have starved after incomes have stopped, savings have evaporated and after debts have increased.

But does the world understand the effects of the Israeli occupation and blockade on our economy?

Is it logical that a whole nation to lose half their national income and that 70% of its workers become unemployed with 70% of the families below the poverty line and that the occupational government continues withholding 75% of the PNA’s revenues.

The World Bank, the UN and the donor countries have recorded the magnitude of the catastrophe caused by the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian people in the last two years.

I realise wholeheartedly this suffering and its pain and feel the greatness of this people and their steadfastness. They wanted the Palestinian people to surrender their rights but they refused to succumb to such a notion. This great people that I have always said supersedes its leadership does not need to be taught the meaning of steadfastness, because the Palestinian people has created miracles and has carried the flag generation after generation for the past century. Here, I commend the national initiatives in the developing of in-home educational programs in order for our people to surmount the restrictions imposed by the occupation, as well as commend the Palestinian farmers who challenge settlers and the army in order to pick their olive trees, as well as commend national and governmental institutions that offer services to our people in the most difficult of conditions. I also praise on my behalf and in behalf of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership the foreign volunteers who defend with their bodies the Palestinian people. These foreign volunteers have stood with the Palestinian people during the blockade and some of them are currently participating in olive picking. We need more of these national and international initiatives and to reinforce them. I wish to praise in your name the heroes of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the hospitals, field clinics, Palestinian Red Crescent teams and all the national and official medical relief teams that have continued in playing their vital role in spite of the difficulties. I also pay tribute to all teachers and the teams in the Ministry of Education and universities that continued to offer education to one million students in spite of the blockade and destruction; and to all the workers in municipalities, electrical, water and wastewater services; and to all the men and women in social services and in the service of the physically challenged and others in all areas. We sought the support of our Arab people, their governments and also the support the international community. We succeeded in providing food and medicine for the majority of our people and for the continuance of main services for our people in spite of the occupation. My appreciation goes to all our Arab brothers and friends especially those in the European Union who offered us funds, food and medicine, and to all the Red Crescent teams and peace activists. I am sorry to say that the external financial support had decreased in the last months; they no longer meet our needs. Israel is still withholding our funds, which has made it difficult to pay the salaries of employees and to provide financial support to unemployed workers. In spite of all this, the government is still committed to offering assistance to the different segments of our people in order to strengthen their steadfastness. As such, the new government must be effective in its performance and organisation. The scarcity of resources means knowing how to best utilise what we have and the importance of prioritising them. Our first priority will continue to be providing food and medicine, repair, renovation, rebuilding, combating poverty, job creation, compensation of workers, providing temporary shelter until the destroyed homes are rebuilt; and the rebuilding of production tools as well as encouraging more voluntary work and to distribute burdens equally and decrease expenditure in all areas.

However, I realise also that all procedures of alleviating the suffering are only temporary procedures and what is needed is to end the suffering, which will not be realised unless the occupation is ended, the blockade is removed and movement is made towards peace, freedom and independence. Until such a great hope is realised, and will be realised by the grace of God, we will continue seeking the greatest possible protection for the Palestinian people under the occupation, blockade and aggression. The UN has more than 50 armed missions worldwide preserving peace and protecting nations from aggression: in Bosnia, Kosovo, East Timor, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and others; and the Palestinian people are in need of such a protection.

You know the reasons why such protection is not bestowed to our country; even so, I notice a greater international preparation for providing a number of observers to provide such a protection. Here, I wish to thank the European Union who has begun providing such observers, and also Norway, Turkey, Switzerland and other European countries in providing observers in Hebron. We will seek to obtain more observers within the framework of the Quartet proposal that we are studying these days.

Particular attention must be made for the support of the Palestinian population in Jerusalem, which is threatened with changing its Arab features into Jewish ones, blockade and settlement. Jerusalem is the heart to the body of this nation but also to all our Arab nations, Moslems and Christians in the world.

Support is needed in order to protect the Palestinians in Jerusalem from possible evacuation and displacement and for the return of every Palestinian from Jerusalem to their homes and their shops; for the protection of every land and real estate in Jerusalem and for the protection of all our holy sites, both Christian and Moslem.

I also wish to point out that the continued attempts to plant settlements and settlers on our lands: the lands that are confiscated and stolen from our borders behind the New Berlin wall on our western borders. All of these are dangers threatening us in this time, and we need the support of all our brothers and friends and all believers in the world.

I also ask the whole world, especially the countries signatory to the Fourth Geneva Convention to protect our prisoners in the Israeli prisons, to refuse transferring them to Israeli prisons and to expose them to biased military courts. This new government will work in freeing all our prisoners and for their return to their families and country.

Ladies & Gentlemen, Members of the Palestinian Legislative Council,

This is our vision through the conflict, for peace and the rights of our people. In order to get out of the conflict to the shining future horizon, I would like to propose the guidelines of our fourth government program:

1 - Continuing the national struggle for independence, freedom and ending occupation, as being the goal which unifies all Palestinians and becomes the common dominator for political and civil events, in order to reach the establishment of the Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and the return of refugees. It is based on our adherence with the comprehensive and just peace strategy, and our determination to activate the peace process in order to achieve this goal.

2 - Strengthening our national steadfastness and eliminating the suffering of our Palestinian People, including facing the social and economic problems arising out of the occupation circumstances, as well as exerting efforts to safeguard Jerusalem and holy sites and encompassing the settlement and protection of our detainees on the way of their liberation, and provision of international protection to our People.

3 - Maintaining the national unity within our democratic traditions and political gains in the framework of one authority and respect of law. Also, to establish democracy through the legislative, presidential and local elections under international monitoring to realise transparency, fairness and credibility. To continue internal reforms in all aspects, mainly security, justice and management of public finance. To rebuild the structures destroyed by the Israeli occupation and refurbishment of the Palestinian economic structure and to build the national institutions as part of the process of establishing the future independent Palestinian state.

4 - Strengthening our Arab, Islamic and International relationships, and developing our international alliances in a manner serving our objectives.

Now, allow me to propose this program item by item

First: Continuing National Struggle for Independence & Continuation of Peace Strategy

We shall go ahead in defending our national interest, based on freedom, independence and the ending of occupation until establishment of the Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital within the borders of June 4th 1967, and a just solution to the refugees issue based on international legitimacy. The international legitimacy provided the solid basis for such solutions as represented in the Security Council Resolutions 242, 338, 1397, 1402, 1403 and 1435. And by the Arab Peace Initiative based on the initiative of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Abdulla Bin Abdul Aziz, of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which added a pivotal Arab dimension and was approved by the Beirut Summit and as acknowledged as significant in subsequent international initiatives.

We are committed to this initiative and these resolutions. Also, we seriously and positively discussing the proposal submitted by the Quartet Committee, which is based on President Bush’s speech on 26.4.2002, the European Initiative together with Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions. We support every Arab and international action that contributes to ending the Israeli occupation and re-open the door to the peace process and building the Palestinian state. The Palestinian People’s Intifada and refusal of occupation and settlement does not mean refusal of just and comprehensive peace. Peace is our strategic option, as well as the option of our Arab brothers and option of the whole world.

We shall wisely and carefully consider the best means to defend our aspirations, based on our right to resist the occupation, which is a right guaranteed by all international laws and conventions. These means must stem out of the human and moral values and cultural privacy, which distinguish our People who share with the world such ethical standards.

It is prohibited to touch the spirit of our struggle by targeting civilians, in order to prevent enemies of peace from derogating the noble and heroic sense of our struggle. I repeatedly denounce this position. Our struggle is neither revenge nor a vengeance, but the most noble human struggle for freedom and peace. We must maintain this potential strength, and this government will exert its best endeavours to stop any diverting from this meaning of our noble struggle.

Secondly: Work on Strengthening National Steadfastness, Alleviate the Suffering of our People and Providing Protection for them

Our continued struggle in order to realise our national plan and a just and comprehensive peace requires making all effort to strengthen the steadfastness of our people, alleviate their suffering and work on providing international protection for them. I have lived under this blockade for one whole year like the rest of the sons of this nation and under the threat to be killed similar to the rest of my people. As much as I wished for martyrdom and refused to surrender, I took inspiration from the steadfastness of my people. I know what my people are suffering; I feel it in my body and in my conscience. I feel the wounds of children and the pain of mothers; the insults old people receive at checkpoints, starvation and the inability of sick people reaching hospitals. I feel immense pain when I see families displaced from homes destroyed in Rafah, Khan Yunis, Tulkarem and Qalqilya. I feel sorrow when I see olive trees being uprooted and of settlers prohibiting farmers from picking their olive trees in the villages of Nablus. I feel fear for the children of Jerusalem as they climb mountains under fire in order to reach their schools and realise that but for the solidarity of Palestinian families, our people would have starved after incomes have stopped, savings have evaporated and debts have increased.

But does the world understand the effects of the Israeli occupation and blockade on our economy?

The World Bank, the UN and the donor countries have recorded the magnitude of the catastrophe caused by the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian people in the last two years.

I realise wholeheartedly this suffering and its pain and feel the greatness of this people and their steadfastness. They wanted the Palestinian people to surrender their rights but they refused to succumb to such a notion. This great people that I have always said supersedes its leadership do not need to be taught the meaning of steadfastness, because the Palestinian people have created miracles and have carried the flag generation after generation for the past century. Here, I commend the national initiatives in the developing of in-home educational programs in order for our people to surmount the restrictions imposed by the occupation, as well as commend the Palestinian farmers who challenge settlers and the army in order to pick their olive trees, as well as commend national and governmental institutions that offer services to our people in the most difficult of conditions. I also praise in my name and in the name of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership the foreign volunteers who defend with their bodies the Palestinian people. These foreign volunteers have stood with the Palestinian people during the blockade and some of them are currently participating in olive picking. We need more of these national and international initiatives and to reinforce them. I wish to praise in your name the heroes of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the hospitals, field clinics, Palestinian Red Crescent teams and all the national and official medical relief teams that have continued in playing their vital role in spite of the difficulties. I also pay tribute to all teachers and the teams in the Ministry of Education and universities that continued to offer education to one million students in spite of the blockade and destruction; and to all the workers in municipalities, electrical, water and wastewater services; and to all the men and women in social services and in the service of the physically challenged and others in all areas. We sought to support our Arab people, their governments and also to support the international community. We succeeded in providing food and medicine for the majority of our people and for the continuance of main services for our people in spite of the occupation. My appreciation goes to all our Arab brothers and friends especially those in the European Union who offered us funds, nutrition and medicine and to all the Red Crescent teams and peace activists. I am sorry to say that the external financial support had decreased in the last months; they no longer meet our needs. Israel is still withholding our funds, which has made us delinquent in paying the salaries of employees of giving financial support to unemployed workers. In spite of all this, the government still commits itself to offering assistance to the different classes of our people in order to support their steadfastness. As such, the new government must be effective in its performance and organisation. The scarcity of resources means knowing how to best utilise what we have and the importance of prioritising in such matters. We will continue in making our first priority providing for food and medicine, maintenance, renovation, rebuilding, combating poverty, job creation opportunities, compensation of workers, providing temporary homes till destroyed homes are rebuilt and rebuilding of production tools as well as issuing invitations for more voluntary work and to distribute burdens equally and decrease expenditure in all areas.

However, I realise also that all procedures of alleviating the suffering are only temporary procedures and what is needed is to end the suffering, which will not be realised unless the occupation is ended, the blockade is removed and advances are made towards peace, freedom and independence. Till such a great hope is realised and will be realised by the grace of God, we will continue seeking the greatest possible protection for the Palestinian people under the occupation, blockade and aggression. The UN has more than 50 armed mission worldwide preserving peace and protecting nations from aggression in Bosnia, Kosovo, East Timor, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and others; and the Palestinian people are in need of such a protection.

You know the reasons for the obstacles in such a protection arriving to our country; even so, I notice a greater international preparation for providing a number of observers to provide such a protection. Here, I wish to thank the European Union who has begun in providing for such observers and also Norway, Turkey, Switzerland and other European countries in providing for observers in Hebron. We will seek to obtain more observers within the framework of the Quartet proposal that we are studying these days.

I also wish to point out that the continued attempts to plant settlements and settlers on our lands: the lands that area confiscated and stolen from our borders behind the New Berlin wall on our western borders. All of these are dangers threatening us in this time, and we need the support of all our brothers and friends and all believers in the world.

Third: Implementation of the Reform and Development Programs, Strengthening National Unity, and Realising Democracy

The power of nations rests in its internal unity. Our people have been the fortress throughout our struggle for freedom and independence. Their blades broke against the rock of our unity and resolution. Our people proved once and again that they will not accept internal conflict or a civil war.

This government considers it its responsibility to protect the national unity; maintaining and developing it, within the rule of law, one Authority with political plurality and democracy to achieve a political agenda that will become the basis for collective actions to end the occupation and build a Palestine State.

The new cabinet will work in the spirit of the reform program outlined by this Council, and in line with the 100-day plan, which was born out of it. The new cabinet will be responsive to the national yearning for reform and development enhancing the services of the different governmental agencies, and realising the political agenda and the Palestinian National Program.

Reform includes the rehabilitation and reconstruction of what has been destroyed by the occupation. Beyond that it, also, includes strengthening steadfastness, developing an effective governmental institutions to meet the vital needs of the Palestinian people, and to alleviate their suffering in light of the scarce resources. We demand reform that achieves security and justice for the people, dealing with problems before they become entrenched. A reform ensuring the rule of law and equality under the law. We demand reform through the eyes of the Palestinian people and by their hands to achieve Palestinian goals.

The rulers of Israel see reform as a tool to destroy the PNA, casting aside the democratically elected Palestinian leadership, and ending the Palestinian dream of independence, freedom, and right of return.

We see reform in our own eyes as a tool strengthening our steadfastness and building our institutions for our coming State. The basic element in determining the goals of reform is that they are the product of the peoples’ choice through elections.

As such, one of the main basic responsibilities of this government is to prepare for legislative, presidential, local, and union elections providing for its success, transparency, and fairness through the broadest participation of international observers, at the specified date on January 20th, 2003 in accordance with the approved election law, which was a product of the signed agreements; including the participation of our people in Jerusalem in voting, becoming candidates, and participation.

The truth is that since our meeting last May, we continued this large workshop to achieve reform. Reform based on the Palestinian interests. We have accomplished many procedural milestones outlined in your program, which was issued by this council on May 16th, 2002, and spelled out in the 100-day plan born out of it. I will not waste your time listing what has been accomplished by the ratification of laws that have been legislated by our council and the steps taken for their implementation in the security, judicial, administrative, economic, and financial areas. You will find the details in the written document prepared by the different ministries, which will be distributed to you by the Speaker of this Council to study and debate it.

We are on the verge of major developments in the main areas, which have always been a concern of yours, in security, the judiciary, and the management of public funds.

In the Security Domain: The police, preventive security forces, and the civil defence will be integrated under the Ministry of Interior. The security institutions will be rebuilt; the cadre will be trained to protect the national security and the citizens, to implement the law, ending their meddling in politics, media, and financial issues unless provided for by law.

In the Judicial Domain: The government will continue to enforce the law of the independence of judiciary, to work on unifying the Palestinian judicial system, and to allocate funds to support the judicial authority for the construction of courts, the appointment of judges, and for training and protecting them.

In the Financial Domain: The government will commit itself to the continued improvement of the management of public funds building a modern Palestinian financial system characterised by the highest degree of transparency, allowing for the greatest possible accountability in accordance with the government’s responsibility as a guard to our national resources for the benefit of our loyal people. To this end, the Ministry of Finance will complete its work in implementing a unified financial system for purposes of collecting revenues to a single central account. Further, the ministry will complete the current efforts to reorganise the commercial and investment activities of the PNA through unifying such activities within the framework of the Palestinian Investment Fund; which has been established recently with technical assistance from international experts. The government will also pay its debts to the private sector in a gradual manner as permitted by the available resources.

The reform and developmental workshop will include all domains and areas. Each ministry or governmental institution will also reorganise their respective institutions and develop its own cadre. We have welcomed, in this regard, all the Arab and international technical support aimed at assisting us in achieving this vital task, which will have a positive effect on achieving our National Plan, and in supporting the steadfastness of our people.

Fourth: Developing and Strengthening our Arab and International Alliances:

The goal of our government on the political and international levels is to work on developing and strengthening our Arab and international alliances for the benefit of our people. Within this framework, we emphasise our relationship with the Arab world and in reality, during our struggle, we were never alone. The Arab countries stood by us confronting the occupation, preserving our Holy Sites, and in our struggle for independence and freedom. This is in spite of the dangers to all Arab countries, to the harsh and complicated international conditions, and the escalating dangers of waging a war against Iraq.

We have always co-ordinated with Arab governments and their leaders through the Arab League of States and the Arab Summits. The Arab Summit was convened three times to deal with the issue of Palestine and the Intifada. Further, follow-up committee meetings at the level of Arab foreign ministers were held frequently in the Arab capitals in support of Palestine.

The Arab Peace Summit in Beirut added a new dimension of Arab support to our strategy for peace. Within this framework, we commend all our Arab brothers and peoples for standing by us.

Our Islamic relations through the Islamic Conference Organisation and the Jerusalem Committee, in which the Arab countries played pivotal roles, provided much valuable support. Further, the African Unity Organisation and the members of the Non-Alliance Movement have also provided much needed support. The countries of these International organisations stood in support of our Palestinian rights exerting pressure protecting and preserving our rights in the UN and other international organisations. We will continue to maintain these relations and to develop them even further.

Europe will remain a main partner and a strategic ally standing by our people, supporting our rights and a Just Peace in our region. The European Union, Norway, and Switzerland offer a large part of the financial support that we receive. Work shall continue to strengthen this important relationship. Our relationship with Russia is a historical one that we always strive to strengthen and develop. Similarly, our relationship with Japan, China, and India.

The UN has always been a vital dimension in supporting our cause and rights. The resolutions issued by the UN Security Council, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Commission, and other UN institutions form the basis of international legitimacy and legality, in general, and the international humanitarian laws, in particular. The occupation authorities have tried to diminish the role of the UN to escape the important international support to our rights.

The USA, which played a pivotal role in the peace process, formed the Quartet, which consists of the USA, the European Union, Russia and the UN. We are working in a positive way with this committee to reach a work plan that will be a way to end the occupation and to return to the peace process.

We seek the continued political and financial support through our external relations. We seek protection for our people, and we work tirelessly to conclude a successful peace process based upon international legitimacy and the support of the UN.

Finally

Sisters and Brothers Members of the Legislative Council,

I’ve tried in this Statement to explain the new cabinet’s working program, in the light of the hard and complicated conditions.
Now allow me to present to you the members of the new cabinet that will carry these responsibilities, and will present to you its plan and request your vote of confidence, your co-operation and also your supervision and critics.

I’m aware of the role you are playing as the Legislative Council. You were democratically elected, and you carry the responsibility for legislation in our homeland. You adopt laws, approve the budget and monitor the execution. You give the vote of confidence to Cabinets and legalise the foundations of a just judicial system that determines the framework of the separation of powers and the system of co-operation between them.

I’m aware that we are still in the framework of transitional government, working for the establishment of the independent state, that we are unable to achieve it yet. We are in the stage of fighting against occupation, setting up the foundation of the future. It is a stage that needs close co-operation between the three authorities.

We have all experienced the danger of insinuation, as if we had internal disagreement, at the time when we are facing a severe and hateful occupation.

I have prepared for this meeting by conducting the widest possible consultations and sessions with you in order to reach an agreement on the cabinet’s formation; one that will achieve renewal as well as continuity. A cabinet that I can work with and have full confidence in its capacity to execute the difficult tasks delegated to it.

A cabinet committed to the rule of law and to reform and development; a cabinet that works for enhancing co-operation with your Council, and with all political and popular forces in our country; a cabinet that works for democratic legislative, presidential and local elections; that works to reduce the people’s suffering, and to provide them with protection and above all to work for the elimination of the occupation and for achieving freedom, independence and peace.
I have tried my best to provide the Cabinet with the necessary support from the major Palestinian parties, and to include in it veteran politicians, specialised technocrats and new blood.

I’m now honoured to present to you the new Cabinet, requesting your support, your vote of confidence, you’re monitoring of its performance, and you’re ensuring its commitment to the national strategy.

I am quite convinced that you will act according to your principle of complete responsibility, and your full awareness of the challenging conditions that we are living through, in order to achieve the highest level of unity and co-operation between you and this Cabinet and the judicial authority. This is in order to achieve true unity in the ranks of our steadfast and struggling people, on our way to realise our national goals of freedom, independence and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State with the holy Jerusalem as its capital.

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