{"id":267521,"date":"2021-11-16T17:29:30","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T22:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=267521"},"modified":"2021-11-18T10:06:23","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T15:06:23","slug":"panellists-stress-need-to-revitalize-peace-process-as-international-media-seminar-on-middle-east-peace-begins-press-release-pal-2241","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/panellists-stress-need-to-revitalize-peace-process-as-international-media-seminar-on-middle-east-peace-begins-press-release-pal-2241\/","title":{"rendered":"Panellists Stress Need to Revitalize Peace Process, as International Media Seminar on Middle East Peace Begins – Press Release (PAL\/2241)"},"content":{"rendered":"

PAL\/2241<\/strong>
\n16 NOVEMBER 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

Video<\/a><\/p>\n

Speakers examined ways to revitalize the peace process for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as diplomats, journalists, media experts and youth representatives gathered virtually for the opening of the annual International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East today.<\/p>\n

Organized by the Â鶹APP Department of Global Communications, the Seminar takes place over two days, with the panel discussions exploring the themes \u201cThe 30th Anniversary of the Madrid Peace Conference: \u00a0Can hope prevail?\u201d and \u201cSolutions journalism in the coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a recorded video message, Â鶹APP Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said this year\u2019s event marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Madrid Peace Conference, a historic moment that led to dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians and established a crucial foundation of peace upon which to build.\u00a0 \u201cBut over the last years, we have witnessed more setbacks\u201d, he added, noting that many are questioning the viability of a negotiated two-State solution.<\/p>\n

Stressing the need to explore every opportunity to revitalize the peace process, he urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to demonstrate the political will necessary to revive and resume dialogue.\u00a0 A two-State formula, as defined by Â鶹APP resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements, remains the only path to realizing the legitimate aspirations of both sides: \u00a0an end to the occupation and the realization of two independent, sovereign States, living side by side in peace and security, based on the 1967 lines, and with Jerusalem as the capital of both States.<\/p>\n

To realize that goal, the Â鶹APP remains committed to working with Israelis and Palestinians, and with international and regional partners, including through the Middle East Quartet, comprising the Â鶹APP, the United States, the European Union, and the Russian Federation, while also recognizing the crucial role of the media.\u00a0 Free and independent journalism is a cornerstone of building peaceful societies, he stressed.<\/p>\n

Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, welcomed the participants connecting virtually by webcast, saying that 30\u00a0years have passed since the first Â鶹APP Media Seminar was held in 1991 in Helsinki, Finland.\u00a0 \u201cWhile we realize that having the same status quo after all these years is dispiriting, we can neither lose hope nor stop trying,\u201d she said, stressing that efforts will continue to enhance dialogue and understanding and promote a peaceful settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n

Cheikh Niang (Senegal), Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, recalled the Committee\u2019s mandate to raise awareness and advocate for a solution to the question of Palestine.\u00a0 Through the Committee\u2019s outreach efforts with Member States, including those of the Quartet and the Security Council, the Committee encourages the implementation of the international consensus based on two States, he emphasized.<\/p>\n

Expressing great concern over the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, he said settlements have continued to expand while confiscation of property and structures, as well as evictions, are creating an extremely volatile situation.\u00a0 In the course of 2021, another military conflict against Gaza took place, he said, noting that such events are reminders that the Committee\u2019s work is more relevant than ever. \u00a0To deliver its General Assembly mandate involving disseminating and sharing of information on the Question of Palestine, the Committee considers working with the media as essential, he added.<\/p>\n

Drawing attention to the Committee\u2019s website, \u201cUN Information System on the Question of Palestine<\/a>\u201d, he said it is the world\u2019s largest online repository of more than 36,000 Â鶹APP documents on the Question of Palestine. \u00a0The website also contains all information on the Committee\u2019s activities. \u00a0He also noted the Committee\u2019s social media presence, including @UNISPAL on Twitter, the Facebook page of the Committee at\u00a0www.facebook.com\/UN.palestinianrights\/<\/a>, Instagram, and its YouTube channel.\u00a0 \u201cI see much scope for complementarity and cooperation between the Committee and the media to develop materials on the Question of Palestine for dissemination and to maximize our collective impact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East will reconvene at 10:30\u00a0a.m. on Wednesday, 17\u00a0November, to hold its second panel discussion.<\/p>\n

Panel I: \u00a0\u201cThe 30th Anniversary of the Madrid Peace Conference\u201d<\/u><\/p>\n

Moderated by Melissa Fleming, Under\u2011Secretary\u2011General for Global Communications, the first discussion explored the theme \u201cThe 30th Anniversary of the Madrid Peace Conference: Can hope prevail?\u201d, featuring the following panellists: \u00a0Yossi Beilin, former Minister and Member of Knesset\u00a0(MK), Israel; Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine to the United\u00a0Nations; and Grace Wermenbol, Non\u2011Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute.<\/p>\n

Ms. FLEMING noted that November marks the thirtieth anniversary of the 1991\u00a0Madrid Peace Conference, one of the most important peace initiatives to resolve the Israeli\u2011Palestinian conflict.\u00a0 Unfortunately, that event fell short of \u201cputting an end\u201d to the conflict, as the late President of the United States, George Bush, had hoped at the time, she said, adding that the panel discussion would examine the Madrid Conference and consider whether a two\u2011State solution is still viable.<\/p>\n

She said that 20\u00a0years ago, the late Secretary of State Colin Powell recalled on the tenth anniversary of the Madrid Conference that it was time to look forward, \u201cas we try to capture the spirit of Madrid and create a renewed sense of hope and common purpose for the peoples of the Middle East\u201d.\u00a0 It is now\u00a02021, and the world has not succeeded in capturing the spirit of Madrid, she said, asking panellists to share their views.<\/p>\n

Mr. BEILIN described the Madrid Conference as an important milestone and even a \u201cmiracle\u201d, recalling that, between\u00a01984 and\u00a01990, a major dispute between the rotating prime ministers in Israel was the issue of an international conference.\u00a0 Yitzhak Shamir of Likud was against holding it because Arab leaders were not ready to negotiate with Israel.\u00a0 Mr Shamir became Prime Minister in\u00a01990 and attended the international conference, to the surprise of many, he said, describing the event as a milestone in the sense that it was conducive to other efforts that led to the Oslo process in\u00a01993 and to peace between Israel and Jordan in\u00a01994.\u00a0 The bottom line was that Israelis, Palestinians and other Arab leaders were in the same room, negotiating bilateral peace on the one hand and multilateral talks on the economy, water and refugees on the other, he emphasized.\u00a0 The Madrid Conference built the basis for other important processes, he said, adding that the absence of peace now is tragic.\u00a0 But \u201cwe are not in the same place\u201d, where there was no road map towards a two\u2011State solution, a vision of Jerusalem as the capital of both sides and land swaps, he pointed out.\u00a0 Whereas development is too modest, hope exists, he said, urging serious consideration of his idea of creating two States under a confederation system.<\/p>\n

Ms. WERMENBOL said that the three\u2011day Madrid Conference represented a diplomatic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the Arab world.\u00a0 Beyond multilateral negotiations on the economy, water and refugees, it opened the door to direct dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.\u00a0 The conference\u2019s principal success was that it created a framework for future bilateral and multilateral peace negotiations, including the\u00a01993 and\u00a01994\u00a0Oslo Accords and talks between Israel and Arab countries, the effects of which continue to this day, she noted.\u00a0 However, it is evident that Madrid and the ensuing peace processes failed to provide a sustainable solution to the ongoing Israeli\u2011Palestinian conflict.\u00a0 Israel\u2019s settlements have eroded any ability to maintain the status quo, and the current landscape in both Palestine and Israel leaves little hope for a near\u2011term peace settlement, she said, citing intra\u2011Palestinian wrangling, postponed elections for the Palestinian Authority and the emergence of a new Government in Israel that rejects a near\u2011term peace process.\u00a0 Israel no longer feels it must make progress on the Palestinian track, and instead engages in making compromises to normalize relations with Arab countries, she said.\u00a0 Thirty years since Madrid, Israel\u2019s position in the world has increasingly become normalized without resolving the final status issues and achieving the sustainable peace accord that formed the premise of the 1991\u00a0conference, she pointed out.<\/p>\n

Mr. MANSOUR said he agrees with those who call on both sides to resume negotiations as long as they are not detached from the rules of international law. \u00a0Israel insists it will retain control of all borders and will be the sole sovereign \u201cfrom the river to the sea\u201d, thereby negating the\u00a01967\u00a0border and undermining the prospect of a sovereign independent State of Palestine, he noted.\u00a0 Moreover, Israel seeks to annex East Jerusalem and has no intention of dismantling its illegal settlements.\u00a0 He said Israeli authorities have detained 1\u00a0million Palestinians over the years, including children and women, and many died in prison.\u00a0 The current situation resembles that of\u00a01991, he said, recalling that the Shamir Government was against the rights of Palestinians and considered the Madrid Conference as a photo opportunity that would not change anything.\u00a0 But in reality, the will of the international community was stronger than Israel\u2019s colonial will, he emphasized, recalling that Prime Minister Shamir was dragged into the conference, which generated the momentum that led to bilateral negotiations, the Oslo Accords and other processes.\u00a0 There is need to regenerate that impetus by convening an international peace conference, he said, calling for a ministerial\u2011level meeting of the Middle East Quartet\u00a0(United\u00a0Nations, United States, European Union, Russian Federation).<\/p>\n

Ms. FLEMING then asked panellists whether it is possible for the international community to create another historic opportunity to resolve the Israeli\u2011Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n

Mr. BEILIN said he does not see the world taking on the burden of convening such a conference, recalling that before the Madrid Conference, Secretary of State James Baker of the United States shuttled between Israel and Palestine eight times.\u00a0 He added that he does not see the same level of effort by the United States now.\u00a0 President Joseph Biden is not in a situation to invest in Middle East peace, he emphasized.\u00a0 Noting that Israel and Palestine went to Oslo without the suggestion by the United States and the Russian Federation, he said the parties to the conflict should not expect the superpowers to do something in their spare time.<\/p>\n

Mr. MANSOUR said that at the time of the Madrid Conference, the two sides were not in a position to talk to each other, but the international community helped pave the way for negotiations.\u00a0 The Oslo process would not have happened were it not for the Madrid Conference, he added.\u00a0 Noting the Russian Federation\u2019s recent invitation to convene a conference in Moscow, he said only one party was ready to attend.\u00a0 China is willing to host an international conference, he added, going on to emphasize that, meanwhile, Israel continues its illegal activities without accountability.<\/p>\n

Ms. WERMENBOL said it is possible to convene \u201canother Madrid\u201d, but probably not in the same formula.\u00a0 The United States can adopt the carrot\u2011and\u2011stick policy with Israel, and the Biden Administration can take steps to establish itself as a more equitable mediator by undoing some of the actions undertaken by former President Donald Trump, she added.\u00a0 The United States can reopen its consulate in Jerusalem and allow the mission of Palestine to be represented in Washington,\u00a0D.C.\u00a0 However, she does not see peace happening at least in the next two years.<\/p>\n

Mr. MANSOUR concurred, saying that small steps by the Biden Administration, including reopening the United States consulate in East Jerusalem, could keep hopes alive.\u00a0 He also welcomed Washington\u2019s return to its position of supporting the importance of the United\u00a0Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East\u00a0(UNRWA).<\/p>\n

Ms. FLEMING then asked Mr Beilin, a co\u2011drafter of the Geneva Initiative\u00a0\u2014\u00a0also known as the Geneva Accord, a draft permanent status agreement to end the Israeli\u2011Palestinian conflict\u00a0\u2014\u00a0whether a comprehensive agreement of that nature is still feasible.<\/p>\n

Mr BEILIN said that a group of people, including former negotiators from both sides, sat down informally, spending two and a half years, and then another two years to compile 500\u00a0pages of the annexes.\u00a0 The Initiative was offered in the worst situation amid the intifada, he added.\u00a0 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon later said in\u00a02004 that he decided to withdraw from Gaza because the Geneva Initiative was so popular.\u00a0 Noting that it was what the Prime Minister wanted, he said support from civil society was powerful.\u00a0 He went on to emphasize that peace does not necessarily mean convincing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.\u00a0 It can happen at the grass\u2011root level.\u00a0 In recent opinion polls, public support for a two\u2011State solution increased by 10\u00a0points from 36\u00a0per\u00a0cent to 46\u00a0per\u00a0cent, he said, reiterating the need for two States under a confederation.<\/p>\n

Mr. MANSOUR acknowledged the role of civil society in making peace, while pointing out that \u201cat the end of the day\u201d, it is ministers and high\u2011level officials who make decisions.\u00a0 He expressed concern that the peace camps in Israel are decreasing.<\/p>\n

Ms. WERMENBOL said that pro\u2011peace civil society organizations are operating in an increasingly difficult environment, noting as an example Israel\u2019s recent designation of six non\u2011governmental organizations as terrorist entities.\u00a0 Israel has also enacted legislation to make it difficult for pro\u2011peace non\u2011governmental organizations to get funding from foreign Governments.\u00a0 Describing a one\u2011State solution as \u201cnever realistic\u201d, she said it will not create an equitable society for Palestinians and Jews.\u00a0 Regarding her book,\u00a0A Tale of Two Narratives<\/em>, she said it captured the perpetuation of conflict narratives on both sides.\u00a0 Today\u2019s discussion does not reflect such narratives, she said, adding that she heard different interpretations on the Clinton parameters from the other two panellists.<\/p>\n

For information media. Not an official record.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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