Latest news with #Arafat
NDTV
2 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
The UN, Palestinians, Israel And A Hope For Two-State Solution
Ever since the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, the United Nations has been inextricably linked to the fate of Palestinians, with the organization meeting this week hoping to revive the two-state solution. Here is a timeline on the issue: Partition In November 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 dividing Palestine -- which was then under British mandate -- into Jewish and Arab states, with a special international zone for Jerusalem. Zionist leaders accepted the resolution, but it was opposed by Arab states and the Palestinians. Israel declared independence in May 1948, triggering the Arab-Israeli war which was won convincingly by Israel the following year. Around 760,000 Palestinians fled their homes or were expelled -- an event known as the "Nakba," Arabic for "catastrophe," which the United Nations only officially commemorated for the first time in May 2023. Self-determination In the aftermath of the Six-Day War of 1967, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 242, which called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from territories occupied during the conflict, including the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. But linguistic ambiguities between the English and French versions of the resolutions complicated matters, making the scope of the required withdrawal unclear. In November 1974, Yasser Arafat, head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), gave his first speech to the UN General Assembly in New York, saying he carried both "an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun." Days later, the UN General Assembly recognized the Palestinians' right to self-determination and independence. It granted UN observer status to the PLO as a representative of the Palestinian people. Oslo talks, without UN One of the strongest peace initiatives did not come from the United Nations. In 1993, Israel and the PLO -- which in 1988 unilaterally declared an independent State of Palestine -- wrapped up months of secret negotiations in Norway's capital Oslo. The two sides signed a "declaration of principles" on Palestinian autonomy and, in 1994, Arafat returned to the Palestinian territories after a long exile and formed the Palestinian Authority, the governing body for the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. US role UN Security Council decisions on how to treat the Palestinians have always depended on the position of the veto-wielding United States. Since 1972, Washington has used its veto more than 30 times to protect its close ally Israel. But sometimes, it allows key resolutions to advance. In March 2002, the Security Council -- at Washington's initiative -- adopted Resolution 1397, the first to mention a Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, with secure and recognized borders. In December 2016, for the first time since 1979, the Council called on Israel to stop building settlements in the Palestinian territories -- a measure that went through thanks to a US abstention, just before the end of Barack Obama's White House term. And in March 2024, another US abstention -- under pressure from the international community -- allowed the Security Council to call for an immediate ceasefire amid Israel's offensive on Hamas in Gaza, sparked by the militants' October 7 attack. That measure came after the United States blocked three similar drafts. Towards recognition? In 2011, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas initiated the process of requesting membership of the State of Palestine to the UN, which required a positive recommendation from the Security Council, followed by a favorable vote from the General Assembly. In the face of opposition from the United States, the process was halted even before a vote in the Council. The following year, the General Assembly granted the Palestinians a lower status as a "non-member observer State." In April 2024, the Palestinians renewed their request to become a full-fledged member state, but the United States vetoed it. If the Palestinian request had cleared the Security Council hurdle, it would have had every chance of being approved by the necessary two-thirds majority in the Assembly. According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. In the absence of full membership, the Assembly granted the Palestinians new rights in 2024, seating them in alphabetical order of states, and allowing to submit resolution proposals themselves for the first time.
Al-Ahram Weekly
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Palestinian infant dies of starvation in Gaza - War on Gaza
An infant, Hud Arafat, died Saturday morning due to severe malnutrition and the lack of baby formula, according to the Palestinian WAFA news agency. Another Palestinian was killed, and dozens were injured in Israeli airstrikes on Al-Bureij refugee camp and the city of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip. Arafat's death brings the number of children who have died from starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours to three, raising the total death toll from hunger-related causes in Gaza to 124. Medical sources reported that 84 children were among the victims of the mass-starvation policy imposed by Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip. This follows the deaths of two other infants from starvation and malnutrition announced on Friday. Over 900,000 children are currently suffering from hunger, 70,000 of whom have entered the stage of clinical malnutrition, placing them at imminent risk of death. Israel's systematic blockade of food, water, and medicine—particularly since 2 March—has plunged the Strip into what rights groups describe as a 'man-made famine.' The deliberate starvation of civilians has been widely denounced as a tactic of collective punishment and a war crime, intensifying calls from legal experts and human rights organizations to recognize Israel's campaign as genocidal. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) had earlier warned that malnutrition among children under five had doubled between March and June due to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, hopes for a ceasefire faded this week as the United States and Israel abruptly pulled out of the latest round of negotiations with Hamas, despite the group's stated willingness to continue talks. The move drew sharp criticism from international aid groups and regional governments, who have urged renewed diplomatic pressure to halt the war and end the starvation campaign. According to medical sources cited by WAFA, a Palestinian man, Tamer Abu Daqqa, was killed and another was injured when Israeli artillery struck a residential house in Block 3 of Al-Bureij refugee camp. Several casualties were also reported when Israeli forces shelled a gathering of people near the Bani Suhaila roundabout, east of Khan Yunis. Since dawn, at least 31 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, including six individuals who were waiting for humanitarian aid. Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has claimed the lives of nearly 57,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, since its outbreak in October 2023. At least 143,965 others have been injured, with the toll expected to rise as many victims remain trapped under rubble or in areas inaccessible to rescue teams. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Ammon
4 days ago
- Health
- Ammon
Palestinian infant dies of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza
Ammon News - An infant, Hud Arafat, died Saturday morning due to severe malnutrition and lack of baby formula, according to medical sources Arafat's death brings the number of children who have died from starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours to three, raising the total death toll from hunger-related causes in Gaza to 124. Medical sources said that 84 children were among the victims of the starvation policy perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, after the deaths of two infants due to starvation and malnutrition in the Strip were announced yesterday. Over 900,000 children suffering from hunger. Of those, approximately 70,000 have entered the stage of clinical malnutrition, placing them at imminent risk of death. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) had warned that malnutrition among children under five had doubled between March and June as a result of the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. WAFA
Irish Independent
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
I led US talks for Bill Clinton with Yasser Arafat and Ehud Barak – 25 years on, Israel now has its best chance for lasting peace in Gaza
In July 2000, we were optimistic about ending the conflict. Over the preceding seven years, since the beginning of the Oslo process – which provided mutual recognition between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation and called for the creation of a Palestinian Authority (PA) to negotiate peace with Israel – we had produced four partial agreements: the Gaza-Jericho Agreement, the Interim Agreement, the Hebron Protocol and the Wye River Memorandum. But in two weeks at Camp David, even as his negotiators signalled some flexibility, Yasser Arafat, the PA president, rejected every proposal we made. At one point he told Clinton that we would be walking in his funeral procession if he accepted what the US was asking. Arafat did allow his representatives space to negotiate afterward, and in December he and I met privately. He said he could accept the ideas I laid out for overcoming the gaps on the core issues of Jerusalem, refugees, borders and security. We brought Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams to Washington to try to finalise an agreement, and when they could not, both sides asked us to present a bridging proposal that became known as the 'Clinton parameters'. The death and destruction in Gaza has soured many Arab publics on Israel – and their leaders are mindful of this While Israeli leader Ehud Barak accepted them, Arafat did not. Instead, he reignited violence and the second intifada, a five-year uprising in which thousands died on both sides. There has been no political progress between Israelis and Palestinians since then, even though Israel withdrew unilaterally from Gaza in 2005. The Abraham Accords in 2020, during Donald Trump's first term, marked the expansion of Arab-Israeli peace, with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco normalising relations with Israel. President Joe Biden sought to deepen the co-operation those accords promised. By 2023, the administration was on the verge of working out a pact with Saudi Arabia – the Saudis would get a defence treaty with the US and American support for an expansive nuclear-energy industry, in return for normalising relations and making peace with Israel. Hamas's onslaught on Israel on October 7, 2023, was motivated in part by the desire to kill the prospect of this deal. Saudi officials later told me that had Israel succeeded more quickly in defeating Hamas without destroying much of Gaza and killing so many people there, normalisation would have already taken place. But the death and destruction in Gaza has soured many Arab publics on Israel, and their leaders are mindful of this mood. At the same time, these Arab leaders are not unhappy that Israel has vastly weakened Iran and devastated its regional proxies. Iran's loss of much of its coercive capability – and its need to focus domestically on preserving the regime – creates an opportunity for peace and regional integration. Timing is to statecraft what location is to real estate: in other words, seize the moment Even with all the uncertainty in Lebanon and especially in Syria, the potential may exist to negotiate non-belligerency agreements, if not full normalisation, with Israel. Trump rightly wants to capitalise on the changed balance of power in the region to produce Saudi normalisation with Israel and expand the Abraham Accords. Timing is to statecraft what location is to real estate: in other words, seize the moment. But given Arab attitudes, nothing can happen until the war in Gaza ends and the Israeli military withdraws. Israel has already defeated Hamas as a military, but it seeks to ensure that the group no longer controls Gaza. For that, there must be an alternative to Hamas. At this point, neither the Trump administration nor prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has developed a credible 'day after' plan to prevent a vacuum in Gaza. Nor have the Arabs presented a credible plan for the demilitarisation of Gaza, despite the reality that there will be no serious reconstruction without it. No one will offer meaningful investment in Gaza if Hamas can reconstitute itself militarily, making certain that war will erupt again. Even if the current talks over creating a 60-day ceasefire are successful, nothing will change if it does not to lead to ending the war in Gaza, the release of all Israeli hostages, and the withdrawal of the IDF. If Netanyahu is to take advantage of the moment Israel's military achievements have created, he will need to accept both this and a transitional administration led by the UAE, Egypt, Morocco and the Saudis, with participation from the PA. The Arab leaders must assume the responsibility of making sure that the Palestinian Authority undergoes serious reforms: President Mahmoud Abbas assumes a ceremonial position, a newly empowered and internationally credible prime minister is appointed, and transparent financial, investment and budgeting processes are created and monitored by the World Bank. Gaza under the PA's leadership, even after a transitional period of two to three years, is an illusion without such changes. Without an end to Palestinian division and incitement, talk of a Palestinian state is little more than a slogan. Arab leaders must help deliver reforms, and a practical approach that begins to demonstrate that a Palestinian state won't be a failed state. As long as Israelis believe any Palestinian state will be dominated by Hamas or other extremists, they will be reluctant to embrace even the idea any time soon. History creates moments of opportunity, but they rarely last. With Iran and the forces that depend on conflict weakened, this is the chance to forge a new coalition of countries that favour social and economic progress instead of war. (© Bloomberg)
Memri
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Muhammad Rashid, Former Advisor to Yasser Arafat: The 'Right of Return' to Pre-1967 Israel Is Unrealistic; Despite Fiery Slogans, We All Knew That We Would Have to Give It Up to Get a Palestinian Stat
In a July 8, 2025 interview on Al-Arabiyah Network (Saudi Arabia), Muhammad Rashid, former financial advisor to Yasser Arafat, discussed the 2000 Camp David Summit between U.S. President Clinton, Palestinian Authority President Arafat, and Israeli Prime Minister Edud Barak. Rashid said that the independent Palestinian state discussed at the summit was accepted at the expense of the Palestinian right of return to the 1948 borders. According to Rashid, the talks focused instead on a solution for Palestinian refugees, allowing them to return and become citizens of a Palestinian state, receive compensation for their homes, or obtain citizenship in a third country. He said the right to return to homes in the pre-1948 borders was never on the table at Camp David. Rashid - who was born Khaled Salam to an Kurdish-Iraqi family - elaborated that the refugee issue was supposed to be resolved as part of a political peace framework, and that the return of 1.5–2 million Palestinians to places like Safad, Haifa, and Jaffa is unrealistic and off the table. 'The world has changed,' he said. He explained that while the Palestinian revolution was originally based on the right of return and the liberation of pre-1967 lands, circumstances had reduced the Palestinian demands to the June 4, 1967 borders. Rashid also said the Palestinians bear part of the responsibility for the collapse of the Camp David Summit. He added that when Arafat was under siege in the Muqata, he told him he regretted rejecting the Camp David offer and viewed it as a missed opportunity. He also said that the only other witness to that conversation was Nabil Abu Rudeineh.
