Joint Activities - Forum's Calls

President Mahmoud Abbas

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert

SIEZE THIS OPPORTUNITY

Negotiate on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative

With the utmost attention to the interest of the vast majority of both the Palestinian and Israeli people who are willing to achieve a just peace based on a two-state solution, the end of occupation, and the end of the prolonged conflict that has claimed the lives of thousands on both sides, the signatories of this declaration state that the Arab Peace Initiative, presented in Beirut at the Arab Summit in 2002, serves as an historic opportunity to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and consequently the Arab-Israeli conflict. We, representatives of Palestinian and Israeli civil society, agree on the following principles:

1. As a package, the Arab Peace Initiative, approved in Beirut in 2002, serves as a base upon which to reach desired solutions – based on political negotiations between the different parties on an equal basis.

2. These solutions must eventually lead to the end of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian and Arab territories since 1967. Moreover, these resolutions should be based on a two-state solution, bringing security to all, and should lead to a resolution of the conflict's core issues, including the refugee cause as stated in the Initiative.

We expect that both the Palestinian and the Israeli leadership will act upon the Arab Peace Initiative to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, including mobilizing political support and positive interactions to achieve these desired goals.

We hope that the this Declaration will serve to support the Arab Peace Initiative at the coming Arab Summit, held in Riyadh on 28^th March 2007. We call upon the Quartet to convene a Peace Summit supported by the Arab League, on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative, with the aim of initiating concrete Palestinian-Israeli negotiations in regard to the final status issues so that a political solution based on two states may be achieved.

The Palestinian-Israeli Peace NGO Forum*

representing over 120 organizations

The Palestinian-Israeli Peace NGO forum is a newly established alliance, composed of over 120 organizations working for peace and human rights in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. In this time of crisis, we remain firm in our belief that the future of our two peoples is interdependent and have decided to work together to keep open existing channels of communication and to establish new ones. Our joint activity is based on a shared vision of a mutually agreed upon resolution of the conflict, which ensures the dignity, liberty and security of both nations.

*The content of this ad is not representative of the opinions of all member organizations of the Peace NGO Forum.

www.peacengo.org