THE RIGHT OF RETURN
The 100-year old Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not come to an end
without the solution of the refugee problem. An agreement with a half of the
Palestinian people, that will leave the other half outside the range of
peace, will not bring real and lasting peace.
There is no solution
without agreement in principle by the Government of Israel to the Right
of Return - a right anchored in human morality and international law.
In his respect, there is no difference between a refugee
uprooted by the events of the war itself and a refugee actually evicted
by the Israeli forces, between a refugee of 1948 and a refugee of 1967,
between the refugees themselves and their descendents. All of them have
been prevented from returning.
The right of return assures every Palestinian
refugee free choice between repatriation to Palestine and compensation.
- - Refugees who will opt for repatriation will return to
the State of Palestine and be resettled there with the assistance of the
international fund for Palestinian refugees.
The State of Palestinian will have the right to enact a Law of Return
that will guarantee the absolute right of every Palestinian to settle
there. It will also have the right to grant Palestinian citizenship and
issue Palestinian passports to all Palestinian refugees, wherever they
lives, as a first or second citizenship.
- - Refugees who will opt for compensation instead of
repatriation will receive generous compensations for property left in
Israel, as well as for past suffering and lost opportunities.
Compensations will be financed by the international fund for Palestinian
refugees.
- - As a symbolic act, and in order to heal the historic wound,
the State of Israel will allow for the return of a number of refugees to
Israeli territory. The actual number and categories of the returnees,
the time-table and modalities of absorption, will be subject to
negotiations.
It is understood that a tragedy cannot be remedied by creating another
tragedy, and that a refugee problem cannot be solved by creating another
one. Therefore, Israelis will not be evicted from their homes and land
in order to enable Palestinian refugees to return to them. The
Palestinian returnees to Israel will be resettled like new citizens.
An international fund for Palestinian returnees, with Israeli
participation, will be set up for financing the whole operation.
Both
sides will solemnly declare that with the implementation of the agreement,
the Palestinian refugee problem will be solved.
GUSH SHALOM
Ha’aretz, Aug.13 1999
03 - 522 17 32
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