Dr Wael Al Battrekhi- Deputy Chief of the Mission - EMBASSY OF THE STATE OF PALESTINE IN INDIA--- .INDIA PALESTINE FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION.--CONFERENCE-AT THRISSUR, KERALA-2016 DECEMBER 2 -Inaugural Address
Dr Wael Al Battrekhi- Deputy Chief of the Mission - EMBASSY OF THE STATE OF PALESTINE IN INDIA .INDIA PALESTINE FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION.--CONFERENCE-AT THRISSUR, KERALA-2016 DECEMBER 2 -Inaugural Address
I am indeed happy to be with you today at this significant gathering at the respected venue of the Kerala Sahithya Academy, the citadel of culture and literature of this state, in Trichur, in Kerala, to observe solidarity with our Palestinian People and I would like in the beginning to extend my profound thanks and appreciation to the India Palestine Friendship Association for the great efforts made to celebrate the day of Solidarity and for organizing such a meeting of fraternity.
I express my high appreciation as well to the Govt. Of the Republic of India for their continuous support and solidarity with our Palestinian People to enable them regain and exercise their legitimate National Rights including their right of return, self-determination and establishment of their Independent state with East of Jerusalem as its capital.
Once again I thank all the eminent people who have come to speak what they bear at heart on this occasion.
Ladies and gentlemen, eminent literatures, dignitaries and comrades,
I would like to express to all of you the deep thanks and appreciation of his H. E Mr, Adnan Abu Alhaijaa, the Ambassador of the state of Palestine to India, who could not be with us today due to his engagement back at Home.
This month – November is a very special month for Palestinian people, because it includes many of sad and an important occasions in the life and struggle of Palestinian people , the struggle for freedom, dignity, independence and self-determination; and to establish our own state with Jerusalem as its capital.
100 years have passed since Balfour declaration. 70 years have passed since the partition plan in 1947.
12 years have passed since the martyrdom of our great leader chairman Yasser Arafat.
28 years have passed of the occasion of national day of the state of Palestine in 1988 which declared from exile in Algeria.
On this day in 1947, United Nation resolution 181 was endorsed by the General Assembly calling for the creation of two states on the land of historic Palestine.
Promises were made and promises were broken. One state was created (Israel ) and the other denied ( Palestine) till date.
One side of history did shine full of triumph and glory, the other, filled with miseries of dispossession, occupation, and the struggle for basic human rights.
The Palestinian People and their leadership with all peace-loving peoples, nations, states, express their deep concern over the recent political developments in the occupied state of Palestine, especially after 50 years of Israeli occupation in Palestine.
UN with the international community is unable to achieve justice and comprehensive peace and to end the Israeli occupation in Palestine. Israel, the occupying power, still believes and considers itself above the international law, because of the absence of international accountability.
The Israeli occupation authorities still go on violating the international laws and the international humanitarian laws in occupied Palestinian land against our people and are continuing to build and expand settlement in west bank, including East Jerusalem, in order to alter the status of OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territory) both physically and demographically, in order to impose their own solution to the Palestinian cause. By doing this, they are undermining the principle of two state-solution based on UN Security Council resolutions 242-338-1397. Israel expropriates and confiscated more Palestinian land through its creeping annexation, it builds more illegal settlement, demolishes more Palestinian homes.
However the situation on the ground stands testament to the continuation of the colonization and annexation policy of more settlements, a separation wall, more deaths, a segregation system, greater destruction and further miseries, administrative detentions, arrests, more restrictions to the freedom of movement, more of discrimination, racism, racial incitement and other brutal measures against our people, which aim to force and compel the Palestinians to leave from their own land , to break their resistance in a new and very modern form of ethnic cleansing.
The occupied west bank including East Jerusalem is being fragmented by illegal Israeli settlement and settler-by-pass roads, cut up by security zones and Apartheid wall. Israel controls the economy, the water and the movement of the whole Palestinian population.
This is in addition to the violations committed by settlers and extremists under the protection of the Israeli occupying force against the sanctity of Christian and Muslim holy places, especially in Jerusalem in Al Aqsa mosque, one of the most important holy places for all Muslim in the whole world.
Particularly aimed at changing the historic status quo in OPT, all these actions amount to serious violations to 4th Geneva convention. These violations would risk turning the conflict from political and legal one to one of religious conflict, which will bring disastrous consequences to everyone. We will not accept this.
In the recent years alone, thousands of Palestinians mostly civilians have been killed, including over 2150 in the latest Israeli aggression against our people in the Gaza strip.
Gaza strip, which still is under blockade for more than 10 years, will be uninhabitable by 2020 according to UN reports. Thousands of Gaza people lost their houses and they still are waiting for aid and help from donors belonging to international community in order to rebuild their lost houses; which had been destroyed by the latest Israeli war against Palestinian people in Gaza strip.
Israel must choose between occupation and peace. It is clear from the polices of successive Israeli governments that the colonial agenda has trumped the peace agenda in Israel; and, it is equally clear that without international intervention this situation cannot be reversed.
Israel exploits the security situation in the region and the world in their concern in the war on terror, in order to evade their obligations to the peace process; and for the completion of its continued settlement enterprise.
The present extreme right-wing Israeli government, with its many fanatical elements, does not believe or want peace and does not want a two- state solution.
Israel government led by Netanyahu and his extreme right coalition is using the failure of the international community especially the US and some other countries to impose a solution to act; effectively dealing with Israel's terrifying impunity to impose a solution of its own making.
So, people of Palestine and the State of Palestine expect and appeal to the fraternal people and fraternal states to come actively to support our just cause. We expect and call up on the democratic and secular forces to stand with our just grievances and to articulate emphatically against the illegal occupation and expansion of settlements within the Palestinian territory. We appeal the fraternal people and states to create international combined effort that can clamp the accepted decisions on to practical steps, so that, peace will prevail. This will be vital to prevent a new apartheid regime being implanted in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Let me say it openly that it is really moving to experience the solidarity rendered by the people here in Kerala, India to our cause to achieve our homeland along with freedom and sovereignty.
Long Live India Palestine friendship .
Once again I express immense thanks to the affection and solidarity rendered to us by way of this solidarity meeting.