Seeds of Peace
As peoples, the Israelis and Palestinians both have known the painful reality of exile in their histories. They both know of sorrow and of longing. They both are profoundly troubled by the tragedy of refugees in their war torn area.
We, the delegates of the Middle East Youth Summit, acknowledge that many refugees live in deplorable conditions, and that all of them live in political limbo. They represent a living reminder of our need to establish justice, stability, and decency in our region.
We believe that as we approach the new millennium it is not possible for countries to practice policies of isolation. We believe that the issue of Palestinian refugees must be addressed in a spirit of global cooperation as an effort to restore stability to the Middle East.
We urge the world community to recognize its obligation to humanity. We must confront this refugee problem and commit our social and financial resources towards resolving it. In addition to its humanitarian dimension, this situation also has dangerous social, economic, political, and security implications for this region. Without its resolution, no viable and lasting peace agreement is possible.
Assumptions
We endorse the establishment of an independent Palestinian state next to the independent Jewish State of Israel. We see this new state as fulfilling the long-standing national longings of the Palestinian people and as a necessary precondition for the resolution of the refugee issue. It is within this context that we propose the following recommendations.The Plan
In recognition of the will of the world community to provide decent conditions to those currently residing in refugee camps, we wish to abolish the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and call for the establishment of a Multinational Committee for Palestinian Development (MCPD), which will oversee the dismantling of refugee camps and the development of Palestinian facilities and services that integrate these Palestinians into societies. These functions will be carried out by various subcommittees dealing with the development of new communities in the host countries and in the State of Palestine. The MCPD will be funded by countries in the region as well as by concerned donor countries and organizations. We agree that all Palestinians be offered citizenship according to the policies of the State of Palestine. Additionally, in the spirit of cooperation the Committee will urge the host countries who currently house refugees to offer citizenship to those Palestinians who choose to remain where they are currently located. Furthermore, where the refugee communities are offered citizenship, the MCPD will invest funds and human resources geared toward the building of economic stability and self-sufficiency of these new citizens. In return for granting the Palestinian refugees citizenship in host countries, an effort would be made by the MCPD to support these hosts by reciprocating them in the form of significant economic incentive, possibly major debt forgiveness. These measures will seek to ensure that Palestinians will no longer suffer the tragedy of statelessness. Upon exiting the refugee camps, all refugee families would receive a lump sum of money determined on a per capita basis with which they could start a new life. The funds for this purpose will come from international contributions to the MCPD. Priority will be given to those families living in refugee camps; however, refugees living outside of the camps will also be eligible on need-based grounds. In addition, the MCPD will initiate and maintain a rehabilitation program in the State of Palestine that will focus on meeting the educational, health, and housing needs of the Palestinian refugee population. Particular attention will be paid to development of infrastructure and industry that will contribute to the economy of the Palestinian people. It is fully recognized that enhancing the strength and viability of the Palestinian economy will assure the reintegration of the refugees and will contribute to the stability of the region. We particularly recognize the need to develop adequate Palestinian educational and training opportunities, especially in the new computer technologies that will be so significant in the commerce of the next century. Although, we understand, in principle, that all Palestinians have the right to return to their homes, whether in Palestine or Israel, in practice, we have agreed that the implementation of this right in Israel is unrealistic, and is not possible because Israel was established as the only Jewish state. As such, it has the right to maintain its Jewish character, and Jewish majority as it sees fit. We also recognize that Israel has special security needs. However, we feel that there is a segment of the refugee population that can return to Israel without jeopardizing either of these concerns. Therefore, five years after the establishment of the State of Palestine, all former refugees wanting to return to Israel can apply to do so. Under the condition of family reunification, a limited and agreed upon number of Palestinians will be allowed to return. The following conditions will be required for application under this family reunification plan. The applicant is a Palestinian refugee:- whose village still exists;
- whose family currently lives in the village;
- who is prepared to become a citizen of the State of Israel and revoke any other citizenship; and
- who was not involved in illegal activities in the past and does not pose a threat to Israeli security.