Toward the Birth of a Palestinian State : ‘Moving From Stones on Battlefront to Stage of Political Initiative’

Acting in the wake of the announcement by Jordan’s King Hussein that he is disengaging his monarchy from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, leaders in the Israeli-occupied territories proposed to declare an independent Palestinian state on the disputed land. Following are excerpts from a working paper outlining their plan:

The announcement in Jerusalem of the independence document will herald the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the partition boundaries, as determined in 1947 by the (U.N.) Security Council in Resolution 181. Its capital will be Jerusalem, and its interim government will consist of two parts: Those who are in exile and those who reside on Palestinian soil.

The state will be headed by Yasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee; Farouk Kaddoumi, who heads the PLO’s political department, will serve as foreign minister in the new government. PLO executive committee members will be considered members of the new government. It will also include George Habash, secretary general of the PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) and Nayef Hawatmeh, secretary general of the DFLP (Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine).

In parallel, the Palestine National Council will be proclaimed the new state’s parliament. It will include personalities from the occupied territories. Their names will be declared in the Declaration of Independence.

An interim administrative body will be set up in the occupied territories.

This program aims at moving from the phase of clashes with stones on the battlefront to the stage of political initiative through a diplomatic mechanism initiated by the Palestinian side, which will provide the blessed “uprising” with renewed momentum toward an international conference.

This technique will have a stronger influence on diplomatic activity than any other political initiative that could be presented by the Palestinian side. It will give the Palestinians a tremendous bargaining chip because the issue for debate both in the inter-national and Israeli arenas will change from demand that the PLO recognize Israel as a pre-condition for negotiations to a demand that the international community recognize the state established by the efforts of the Palestinian people, whose lands were occupied by the Hebrew state.

The above does not mean an end to the blessed uprising, but an escalation which lifts it to the level of the proposed national state.

Israel will find itself subjected to diplomatic pressure on the international level, especially if the declaration of the state will be accompanied by an active diplomatic campaign led by the political department in the PLO through its representatives around the world. Friendly countries will be asked to officially recognize the new Palestinian state while countries with diplomatic relations with Israel will be called on to create parallel representations in the Palestinian state, as well as having economic and trade relations with it.

Of course, the Israeli authorities are going to carry out an arrest campaign against all those who have any relationship, whether from near or far, with the draft of a declaration of independence. It will also put up obstacles in order to stop Palestinian personalities and delegations from participating in a national conference in Jerusalem in which this independence will be declared. But the media coverage that will accompany these events will give the uprising a new face in which the characteristics of the newborn state would be reflected.

Regarding the Israeli position: It will be unable to fight against, strangle or abort the “newborn.” The newborn--the state struggling to save itself from occupation--will be accorded respect and admiration by all forces worldwide, including those that support Israel. Internally, Israel will be divided because the voices demanding recognition of the newborn will increase, especially since this newborn has come into being as the result of heroic labor pains, witnessed by everyone. This is also true because the nature of the new state will confirm that it is not aggressive, and that the Palestinian people do not desire the annihilation of the state of Israel. Rather, they wish to live peacefully as its neighbor.

The announcement of the declaration of independence, as outlined above, does not necessarily mean the creation of an interim Palestinian government-in-exile, as has been suggested by Arab leaders in the past. Instead, it will mean the birth of a Palestinian state in the homeland.

The interim government will proclaim, on behalf of the PLO, its readiness to appoint a specialized delegation whose members will be people from within and outside the occupied homeland. Its mission will be to launch negotiations toward reaching a final settlement with Israel.

The declaration of independence will be preceded by consultations with the Arab countries and friendly nations, especially with the Soviet Union. This consultation is not for the purpose of requesting permission from these countries but in order to guarantee their needed support to this state.

The nature of the independent Palestinian state will be a republic--elected president and ministerial council made up of elected parties. The state will allow multiple political parties and religions, and the freedom of all believers to worship. It will guarantee the human, economic and political rights of individuals and the community. It will guarantee for the citizen to live in freedom, dignity and the pursuit of happiness. It will guaranteeto him all the rights stated in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, including the freedoms of expression, education and ownership. It will provide for him health, social, economic, educational and agricultural possibilities so that he can build a bright future for him and for his children.

Following recognition of the state and the withdrawal of the Israeli army, arrangements will immediately be made for free, direct elections to form the new government and name a new president whose authority will be decided by the parliament after its first session, forming the first elected government for the new Palestinian state.