PALESTINA-SEPTIEMBRE

Sent: Friday, September 2, 2011 1:15 PM
Subject: march of september

My Dear friends

It has been some time since I last wrote you. let me take the opportunity of the Eid: Kull AAm Wa antom Bikhair. I wish you all a happy Eid and a happy year to come.

We are now in the "home stretch", the last mile before reaching our target of September: securing membership of the UN, and as many new bilateral recognitions of the Independent State of Palestine as possible. The objective of this exercise is to get further international support for our struggle for liberation from Israeli occupation, the achievement of Independence, The return of our refugees and real peace for Palestine and the Palestinians.

It is a step in the direction of our legitimate rights and aspirations. It is also fulfillment of one part of our strategy: International activism. UN membership will not achieve all of this on its own. It legitimizes our state, and its borders internationally, It allows us new tools of facing the might of Israel and its occupation non-violently, and  gives our people a sense of achievement in our long struggle for freedom.

It is politically, legally and morally legitimate and it has the support of the international community.

Our campaign for September has gathered momentum considerably. We are all working hard everywhere: from our President to the youngest Palestinian in our homeland or in the Shatat. The determination and commitment is total and irreversible. We are going to New York in September 20th seeking membership of the UN, come what may!

We have now some 125 countries recognizing the State of Palestine, scores more are expected to do that before or immediately after that date, including many European countries.

We are negotiating a text with the Europeans to allow them to vote unanimously in the UNGA for us which may bring our voting majority in the General Assembly to 160 or even more.

I have had long telephone conversations yesterday and this morning with 14 foreign ministers of the EU. I have the assurance that in pursuit of their unity on our issue, they will not be negative or neutral. They will be supportive or else there will not be a unified statement. Many of our friends will recognize Palestine as a state as a result. I have made it clear to the Europeans and before that to the Russians that we will not accept any new Quartet statement that will alter the terms of reference, or the Moscow statement of 2010.

I know the EU meeting in Poland is consultative and will not come with a decision, but it will be instrumental in forming a European consensus, and will allow Baroness Ashton to carry the European ideas to us and to others.

We are seeking full membership, but we understand this will not be possible now because of the American veto. We will get immediate advantages such as the Vatican State status, full membership in the ICC, IMF, and other UN organizations. We will get more recognitions, and assurances, and we will continue the march for full membership. Our campaign is gaining momentum and Israeli officials are admitting the failure of their counter campaign.

What our sister Karma Nabulsi and her adviser GGG from Oxford have done is unfortunate and its like "shooting one's own foot". The whole logic of their campaign is faulty and baseless. It was the PLO's PNC that took the decision in Algeria in 1988 to adopt and declare the State of Palestine, and not the Palestinian National Authority "PNA". We have as a result changed our representation everywhere from  PLO missions to Embassies or Missions of Palestine. Palestine is the Homeland "al Watan" whereas PLO is the organization Palestinians chose as their ultimate legitimate authority. The world upgrades its recognition from a"movement" to a "country" represented by a recognized state. We have never and will never give up Our PLO until liberation and return have been secured.

The rights of the Palestinians to liberation and return are "inalienable" regardless of who represents the Palestinians, and what upgrade have been recognized for them. This is why we reject categorically the notion of a "Jewish State", and this is why in all our previous negotiations 'The refugee issue" was paramount. The refugees are not just outside Palestine, but they are also within the West Bank and Gaza. 70% of the Gazans are refugees, as well as 50% of the West Bankers, with an equal right of return to their original homes, towns and villages.

The only elected segment of the PNC is the one that comes from the PLC elections in the West Bank and Gaza. The difficulty of holding elections in the Shatat has been a factor in limiting elective representation of the PNC. But it is absurd to fight the issue of membership of the UN on Palestinian representation and democracy as GGG claims.

Altogether, it has been the only unfortunate episode in our campaign, and it has fallen into the hands of Israeli spokesmen. I hope it ends quickly, so that we could start running again together "all of us" in the last mile. 

The quest for a recognized State of Palestine increases our ability to get world support for the right of return, and does not in any way disenfranchise the PLO as the ultimate Palestinian Authority, and the umbrella of unity for all Palestinians.

In the coming weeks we will continue the hard work leading us to the UN on the 18th of September. On the 23rd our President will address the UNGA. I will be in London, Brussels and Bucharest among others. I just arrived from Bangkok, Delhi, Moscow and Cairo. Afif was in France, and addressed later the

Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers in Finland brilliantly, Hussam will be going earlier to America. We are all working hard.

Let us keep the good work and the high spirits of determination, optimism and yes... revolution..  revolution until victory.

Nabeel Shaath