Press Releases

Civil society groups say respect for human rights critical to Middle East peace: Putrajaya Action Plan for 'Peace in Palestine'

For Immediate Release

No. (E/11/05)

8 April 2005


“Unless justice is done to the Palestinian people, there can be no security for the people of Israel. This is why the restoration of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people is a vital pre-condition for peace not only in the Middle East but also in the world at large.” This was the conclusion of civil society groups meeting in Malaysia at the end of March 2005.

The conference came on the heels of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report (In Larger Freedom) on UN reform and implementation of the Millennium Declaration in which the Secretary-General also affirms the linkage between human rights, development and security. “Unless all these causes are advanced, none will succeed.”

Conference participants adopted a 10-point plan (Putrajaya Action Plan) to coordinate activities of civil society organizations in the south based on an understanding that the root cause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the Israeli occupation from 1948 onwards of Palestinian land and the consequent subjugation and oppression of the Palestinian people.

The plan reflects current global sentiments in favor of a two-state solution, but does not preclude the eventual emergence of a single unified democratic state if it is in consonance with the wishes of the majority of Palestinians and Israelis. It recognizes that refugees should be allowed to return to both Israel and the new Palestinian state while those who choose to remain in their land of domicile should be allowed to do so. And it affirms the role of selective boycotts and divestment from Israel to ensure Israel's complete withdrawal from the 1967 occupied Palestinian territories.
 


A complete copy of the Putrajaya Action Plan is available on the BADIL website (www.badil.org\e-library\PUTRAJAYA.htm)

For more details about the conference visit, www.worldcivilsociety.com.