Gush Shalom's Draft Peace Proposal
GUSH SHALOM - pob 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033 -
Today, Friday, August 10,
while the funerals of the victims of yesterday’s suicide attack in
Jerusalem are still going on, Gush Shalom has published the text of a
proposed Peace Agreement in a full-page ad in Haaretz.
In the introduction, the Gush said:
“Now, more than at any other time,
the struggle for peace must not stop. The following declaration of
principles is a proposal for joint Israeli-Palestinian discussion. It
should not be considered a take-it-or-leave-it proposition.
We went into details in order to
express our conviction that all the issues at stake –
the components of the conflict – can be resolved. Not by diktats, not by
an overbearing master-and-servant attitude, but by negotiations between
equals.
The government and the army leadership
are leading us into a hell of blood and fire. We call upon all
peace-seekers in Israel to unite for the future of the two peoples of this
country, Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Arabs.
The country has given birth to us as twins.”
Peace Agreement
(Draft
Proposal)
Between the State of Israel and
the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Representative of the
Palestinian People.
Whereas both parties wish to end the historical conflict between them, establish peace and bring about a historical conciliation between the two nations,
And whereas both parties wish to base the peace on the principles of self-determination, mutual respect, justice and equality,
And whereas both parties acknowledge the principle of "two states for two nations",
And whereas
both parties accept
UN resolutions 242, 338 and 194 as the basis for a solution and
regard
the implementation of
the agreement below as the full realization of these resolutions,
It is agreed by both parties:
Section 1: The End of the
Occupation.
Within one year, the Israeli
occupation, in all its manifestations and functions, in the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip, including Arab East Jerusalem, will come to an end.
Section 2:
The State of Palestine.
Within one year, the independent
and sovereign State of Palestine will be established on the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip, including Arab East Jerusalem, the part of the Dead Sea
that borders the Palestinian shore and the territorial waters of the Gaza
Strip.
Section 3: Borders
The border between the State of
Israel and the State of Palestine will be the cease-fire lines as they existed on
June 4th 1967 (hereinafter: the Green Line), unless stipulated
otherwise in this agreement.
The State of Palestine will have
full sovereign control of all its border crossings on land, sea and air.
Both parties wish that the
border between them should be open, with unrestricted passage of people
and goods, within the framework of the economic and border-passing arrangements to be agreed upon by the
parties.
Section 4: Jerusalem.
Both parties acknowledge the
uniqueness of the City of Jerusalem and declare their intention to
preserve it as a single urban unit, open to all.
The Arab neighborhoods of
the city, according to the map attached, will be an integral part of the
State of Palestine and will serve as its capital.
These areas of the city will be connected to each other and to the
State of Palestine as a single, continuous,
territorial entity.
The Jewish neighborhoods of
the city, according to the map attached, will be an integral part of the
State of Israel and will serve as its capital. These areas of the city
will be connected to each other and to the State of Israel as a single,
continuous, territorial
entity.
The Jewish quarter of the Old
City will be part of the State of Israel and will be attached to its
territory. The Muslim,
Christian and Armenian quarters of the Old City will be part of the State
of Palestine.
There will be no barriers or
obstacles preventing unrestricted passage between the two parts of the
City. Both parties will establish border checkpoints, if they so decide,
at the entrances/exits of the City.
The municipality of the
Palestinian Jerusalem and the municipality of the Israeli Jerusalem will
establish a joint council, based on the principle of equality, to manage
the shared municipal services. The council will be headed by the chairman
of the council and his/her deputy, one of whom will be Israeli and the
other Palestinian. They will
rotate their positions after two years. The first assignment will be
determined by lot.
Section 5: Holy Sites.
Both parties acknowledge the
uniqueness of the Holy Sites and their importance to the believers of the
three monotheistic religions.
The area of the Haram al-Sharif
(Temple Mount) will be part of the State of Palestine.
The Western Wall (the part also
called "the Wailing Wall") will be part of the State of Israel.
All archeological or other
excavations in the area of the Haram al-Sharif (the Temple Mount), the
Western Wall or in their immediate vicinity shall be undertaken by mutual
consent.
Section 6: Exchange of
Territory.
Exchange of territories can be effected by agreement between both parties.
Section 7: Extra-territorial
Roads.
A highway will be constructed
between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and it will belong to the State
of Palestine. The highway will not be connected to the Israeli road
network at any point and will pass either above or below it.
Section
8: Security.
Both parties have the right to
national and personal security.
Both parties renounce the use of
force and the threat of force against each other.
Both parties undertake to combat
terrorism and terrorist initiatives organized in one state against the
other, its residents and institutions.
Both parties undertake to
prevent the entry of any foreign military force into their territories.
Any contravention of this section by either state will grant the
other state the right to take any measures required for self-defense.
The State of Palestine
undertakes to refrain from arming itself with heavy offensive weapons for
25 years. This obligation will become void if peace treaties are signed
between Israel and the Arab states.
Both parties will come to an
agreement regarding the usage of each other's air space.
Section 9: The Settlements.
Residents of the settlements located in territory that is to become part of the State of Palestine will be evacuated from the territory before the end of the Israeli occupation.
The settlements will be transferred intact to the Palestinian authorities, without any damage inflicted on buildings or other immovable property. The property evacuated by the settlers will be considered part of Israel's contribution to the rehabilitation of the Palestinian refugees (as specified heretofore in section 11.)
Section 10: Water.
The water resources of the entire
land between the river Jordan and the Mediterranean belong to both
parties.
A Supreme Israeli-Palestinian
Committee will be appointed and will be responsible for water resources
and distribution. Water will be allocated justly and equally, on the basis
of the numerical proportion of residents in both states.
Both parties will cooperate in projects for the development
of additional water resources, such as desalination of seawater.
Section 11: Refugees.
Both parties agree that the
human tragedy of the
Palestinians must be
resolved by a moral, just,
practicable and agreed-upon solution
that takes into consideration the character and essential needs of the two states.
Israel acknowledges its central
responsibility for the creation of this tragedy during the course of the
wars of 1948 and 1967. Both
parties will establish a "truth commission" of historians -
Israeli, Palestinian and international - that will examine the precise
causes that lead to the creation of the problem in all its aspects, and
will issue an objective, conclusive report within three years. This report
will be incorporated into the schoolbooks of both states.
Israel acknowledges the
principle of the Right of Return as a basic human right.
According
to this right, every refugee will be accorded the choice between
compensation and permanent settlement in another country, return to the
State of Palestine or return to Israeli territory, according to the
following principles:
(1)
In order to heal the historical wound and as an
act of justice, Israel will allow the
return into its territory of
a certain number of
refugees, which will be decided by agreement. The returnees will be
allowed back under a reasonable annual quota within a time limit not
exceeding 10 years.
(2) A generous level of
compensation will be determined for each refugee for property that
remained in Israel, loss of opportunities, etc. The compensation will be
paid by an international fund. Israel will contribute an appropriate portion to this fund,
taking into account the value of Palestinian property that remained in
Israel.
(3) Israel will use its
influence with the international fund so that the Palestinian state will
be enabled to absorb refugees who chose to return to it, as well as
refugees currently residing in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, by
providing suitable housing and employment opportunities.
Section 12: Implementation of
UN Resolutions.
Upon full implementation of
sections 1 to 9, both parties will present a formal joint statement to the
UN Security Council, declaring that both parties consider resolutions 242
and 338 fully realized. Upon full implementation of section 11, both
parties will present a declaration to the UN that resolution 194 has been
realized
Section 13: Differences of
Opinion.
An agreed-upon international committee will monitor the implementation of this agreement and act as arbitrator in the case of differences of opinion.
Section 14: End of the
Conflict.
Full implementation of this
agreement will
constitute the end of the
conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Letters of support, remarks and contributions to pay for this advertisement to: Gush Shalom, P.O.Box 3322, Tel-Aviv 61033, Israel, Phone 972-(0)3-5221732,
info@gush-shalom.org - www.gush-shalom.org
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