Dr. Ashrawi: “Without East Jerusalem as our capital, there can be no Palestinian state or any hope for peace”
Dr. Ashrawi: “Without East Jerusalem as our capital, there can be no Palestinian state or any hope for peace”
Today PLO Executive Committee member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi addressed a delegation representing members of the Swedish Parliament and civil society organizations as representatives of the Swedish Jerusalem Committee.
In the meeting, Dr. Ashrawi stressed, “Israel is forging a new reality for Jerusalem by annexing Jerusalem and destroying the authenticity and character of the city with its draconian laws. With its policies of demolishing Palestinian houses, evicting Palestinians from their ancestral homes, revoking Palestinian IDs and constructing illegal settlements and the Apartheid Wall, Israel is sending a message to the world that Jerusalem is an exclusively Jewish city where Palestinian Christians and Muslims have become temporary residents at the mercy of Israeli occupier. Without East Jerusalem as our capital, there can be no Palestinian state or any hope for peace.”
She added, “Israel is exploiting the weakness of the victim and using the political process as a cover to buy time and immunity to commit its violations of international law. Israel uses the power and coercive logic of an occupier rather than any commitment to international law and justice that are required of a peace partner.”
“The status quo is not sustainable and will not last forever; if Israel succeeds in destroying the two-state solution, the future will not bode well for anybody,” concluded Dr. Ashrawi.
Dr. Ashrawi also expressed her appreciation for the solidarity work done by the Swedish Jerusalem Committee and for the decision of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People to declare 2014 as the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People: “We pledge to continue our joint efforts in pursuit of justice and a durable peace.”
PRESS RELEASE
PLO Executive Committee
Department of Culture and Information
August 27, 2013