NICOSIA, May 8, 2009 (WAFA)- Participants of The United Nations International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian peace, urged the new Israeli Government to declare its support for a two-State solution.

Convened by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, the meeting was held in Nicosia on May, 6 and 7 2009.

Participants underscored the need to promote and apply the principles of international law to all efforts aimed at resolving the Middle East conflict and in particular, its core issue, the question of Palestine.

They expressed serious concern about the deteriorating situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and were particularly alarmed about the status of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians in the wake of Israel’s military assault on Gaza. While the negotiations remained suspended and the prospects for their genuine resumption were considered bleak, the participants urged the new Israeli Government to declare its support for a two-State solution.

The participants were appalled by the lack of any tangible improvement of the situation in Gaza.  The Israeli military invasion of December and January left some 1,440 Palestinian killed and over 5,300 injured, the majority of which were civilians.  It also led to a massive destruction of and damage to Palestinian homes, property and infrastructure.  The military onslaught followed many months of a suffocating Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip; a policy continued to date. 

As a result, the Palestinians were faced with severe shortages of all basic and essential supplies, including materials badly needed to commence reconstruction.  The participants in the Meeting recalled and reminded that under the Fourth Geneva Convention Israel, the occupying power, was obliged to protect the Palestinian civilian population under its occupation and to act within the ambit of international law.  The participants noted that all efforts to achieve a ceasefire should be supported and lead to a permanent cessation of violence. 

They strongly condemned the killing of innocent civilians by either side.  Violence proved to be affecting negatively any efforts at promoting political dialogue.  Negotiations should not be held hostage to agendas of extremists.  The participants called for an immediate lifting of the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the opening of all crossings in accordance with the Agreement on Access and Movement of 15 November 2005.  They also called for the release of all prisoners, including Palestinian parliamentarians.

The participants expressed their appreciation for the immediate and continued engagement of the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council, Governments, national parliaments and their regional and international organizations, and many civil society organizations to achieve a ceasefire, provide basic services to the civilian population, investigate possible violations of international humanitarian law, and demand concrete steps to improve the situation.  The participants commended Arab and European parliamentarians who had been among the first on the ground to collect first-hand information and to report back to their Governments and constituencies.  They encouraged parliamentarians to stay involved on the issue and to engage their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts, as well as their own Governments with a view to promoting a political solution of the conflict.

The participants denounced the continued construction of the wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and its effects on Palestinian communities. The participants recalled the 2004 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, which had clearly stated that the construction of the wall was illegal under international law and insisted on its removal.  Furthermore, they called for the removal of the many barriers and checkpoints in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the restoration of the situation to that, which existed before September 2000. They emphasized the need for a more serious action by the international community challenging the presence of the wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.