|
Jimmy Carter:
America Must Recognize Palestine
By Jimmy Carter
November 29, 2016
"Information
Clearing House"
- "NYT"
-
ATLANTA — We do not yet know the policy of the next
administration toward Israel and Palestine, but we do
know the policy of this administration. It has been
President Obama’s aim to support a negotiated end to the
conflict based on two states, living side by side in
peace.
That prospect is
now in grave doubt. I am convinced that the United
States can still shape the future of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict before a change in
presidents, but time is very short. The simple but vital
step this administration must take before its term
expires on Jan. 20 is to grant American diplomatic
recognition to the state of Palestine, as 137 countries
have already done, and help it achieve full United
Nations membership.
Back in 1978,
during my administration, Israel’s prime minister,
Menachem Begin, and Egypt’s president, Anwar Sadat,
signed the Camp David Accords. That agreement was based
on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 242,
which was passed in the aftermath of the 1967 war. The
key words of that resolution were “the
inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war
and the need to work for a just and lasting peace in the
Middle East in which every state in the area can live in
security,” and the “withdrawal of Israel armed forces
from territories occupied in the recent conflict.”
The agreement was
ratified overwhelmingly by the Parliaments of Egypt and
Israel. And those two foundational concepts have been
the basis for the policy of the United States government
and the international community ever since.
This was why, in
2009, at the beginning of his first administration, Mr.
Obama reaffirmed the crucial elements of the Camp David
agreement and Resolution 242 by
calling for a complete freeze on the building of
settlements, constructed illegally by Israel on
Palestinian territory. Later, in 2011, the president
made clear that “the borders of Israel and Palestine
should be based on the 1967 lines,” and added,
“negotiations should result in two states, with
permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan and
Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine.”
Today, however, 38
years after Camp David, the commitment to peace is in
danger of abrogation. Israel is building more and more
settlements, displacing Palestinians and entrenching its
occupation of Palestinian lands. Over 4.5 million
Palestinians live in these occupied territories, but are
not citizens of Israel. Most live largely under Israeli
military rule, and do not vote in Israel’s national
elections.
Meanwhile, about
600,000 Israeli settlers in Palestine enjoy the benefits
of Israeli citizenship and laws. This process is
hastening a one-state reality that could destroy Israeli
democracy and will result in intensifying international
condemnation of Israel.
The Carter Center
has continued to support a two-state solution by hosting
discussions this month with Israeli and Palestinian
representatives, searching for an avenue toward peace.
Based on the positive feedback from those talks, I am
certain that United States recognition of a Palestinian
state would make it easier for other countries that have
not recognized Palestine to do so, and would clear the
way for a Security Council resolution on the future of
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Security
Council should pass a resolution laying out the
parameters for resolving the conflict. It should
reaffirm the illegality of all Israeli settlements
beyond the 1967 borders, while leaving open the
possibility that the parties could negotiate
modifications. Security guarantees for both Israel and
Palestine are imperative, and the resolution must
acknowledge the right of both the states of Israel and
Palestine to live in peace and security. Further
measures should include the demilitarization of the
Palestinian state, and a possible peacekeeping force
under the auspices of the United Nations.
A strong Security
Council resolution would underscore that the Geneva
Conventions and other human rights protections apply to
all parties at all times. It would also support any
agreement reached by the parties regarding Palestinian
refugees.
The combined
weight of United States recognition, United Nations
membership and a Security Council resolution solidly
grounded in international law would lay the foundation
for future diplomacy. These steps would bolster moderate
Palestinian leadership, while sending a clear assurance
to the Israeli public of the worldwide recognition of
Israel and its security.
This is the best —
now, perhaps, the only — means of countering the
one-state reality that Israel is imposing on itself and
the Palestinian people. Recognition of Palestine and a
new Security Council resolution are not radical new
measures, but a natural outgrowth of America’s support
for a two-state solution.
The primary
foreign policy goal of my life has been to help bring
peace to Israel and its neighbors. That September in
1978, I was proud to
say to a joint session of Congress, “Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of
God.” As Mr. Begin and Mr. Sadat sat in the balcony
above us, the members of Congress stood and applauded
the two heroic peacemakers.
I fear for the
spirit of Camp David. We must not squander this chance.
|
