Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat told Palestinian legislators Wednesday he was not giving up on the search for peace with Israel, despite Israel's recent military offensive into Palestinian controlled areas.
"Peace has always been our strategic option, and we will never abandon that option. Peace gives common interest to both peoples, Palestinians and Israelis," Arafat told the Palestinian legislature.
Arafat also condemned Israel's six-week incursion into West Bank cities that destroyed much of the infrastructure of the Palestinian security forces. "They tried to abolish this peace deal, they took the military option ... to demolish, kill and destroy our infrastructure," he said. "This will not change anything at all of our determination to achieve peace and autonomy and independence."
Arafat also spoke about the need to introduce domestic reforms and make preparations for elections.
"It is the time for change and reform, Arafat said, speaking of "speedy preparations" for Palestinian elections, but mentioning no target date. "I call for a review of all our administrative, ministerial and security forces...Allow me to propose to you the speedy preparation of elections and to implement whatever is possible," he said.
He took responsibility for any mistakes the Palestinian leadership had made and said they must be rectified.
The speech to a special session of the Palestinian National Council began with an extensive review of past peace efforts, with praise for the legislative council as a democratically elected body, and of the Palestinian people's endurance amid recent "sieges, massacres, and aggression."
"We are now badly in need of re-evaluating our policies and our plans and in order to repair the errors, and to correct our march and our struggle ... for national independence," Arafat said.
"We have announced in the past, and we reiterate in our announcement today, our rejection of all kinds of operations that target Israeli civilians as well as what our Palestinian civilians are subjected to, like what happened in Jenin."
"Palestinian and Arab public opinion have now become convinced that these operations will not serve our interests and goals and yet they antagonize large segments of the international community," Arafat said. He urged the council to take up the issue, "which has become a focal point of controversy in our Palestinian arena and in the Arab arena as well."
Arafat declared that "our dream is real freedom and complete independence in the state of Palestine with Jerusalem as the capital," he said. "Whoever doesn't like it can go... drink the water of the Dead Sea."
The speech coincided with Nakba Day, the anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel, which is commemorated by Arabs as a day of mourning. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
