Press Releases

Peace making based on power politics isn't working, so it's time for a new approach, BADIL tells conference

For Immediate Release

No. (E/01/04)

05 January 2004


 

The history, rights and needs of Palestinian refugees have been excluded from recent Middle East peacemaking efforts, BADIL Director Ingrid Jaradat told an international academic conference in Jerusalem 4-5 January.

Ms. Jaradat said that a new approach to peacemaking must be based on a recognition that the root cause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the 1948 "Nakba" during which more than 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their lands and homes.  She called on Jewish-Israelis to critically assess the role their leaders in the destruction of historic Palestine and in violations of basic human rights and international law.

Israeli historian Ilan Pappe elaborated on this point by calling for Israeli accountability in the creation of the Middle East conflict.   He said there could be no peace in the region until there was accountability, acknowledgement and acceptance of Israel's role in the continuing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Terry Rempel, head of BADIL's Resource Unit, drew the conference's attention to a BADIL review of recent peace agreements in 12 areas of the world which points to the role of public participation in peacemaking, the inclusion of international human rights principles and the recognition of refugee rights for successful peace agreements.  This review is available on BADIL's web site www.badil.org.

In a paper presented to the conference, BADIL urged that Palestinian refugees and the Palestinian exile community become active partners and participants in the search for new models of peace makings.  The paper went on to say that while peace making requires changes and compromises by all parties involved, Jewish-Israeli society must change its agenda for a serious peace process to be put in place.

BADIL also said that a new approach to peace making must recognize the legal obligations to and remedies for Palestinian refugees in line with international law, UN Resolution 194 and best practice as seen in recent successful peace-making efforts around the world.

The conference was organized by Miftah, The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy and FFIPP, Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, a US-based network of university faculty with affiliates in Israel and Palestine.  The aim of this conference and a previous conference in June 20003 is to develop an active international network for peace, justice and democracy in the Middle East.

BADIL Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights takes a rights-based approach to the Palestinian refugee issue; promotes research into all aspects of Palestinian residency and refugee rights and encourages Palestinian community participation in the peace making process.