PALESTINE IS READY FOR ITS INDEPENDENCE

-Negotiations between Israel and Palestine started after the latest tensions in the conflict zone. What results do you expect from these negotiations and do you believe anything can be currently achieved? Is it possible for military attacks to start again?

- We welcome the cessation of the Israeli assault, which is a big relief for the blockaded Palestinian population. We hope the truce will continue. It is hard to tell whether there will be new military attacks. It is up to the Israeli leadership to decide whether it is for peace by stopping building illegal settlements inside Palestine and lifting the siege of the Palestinian people and engaging seriously in the peace process by adhering to the UN resolutions and international law, or will continue its current policies against peace and security in the region.

- In 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution about the establishment of Arab and Jewish states on Palestinian territories. Following that, on 14 May 1948, the independent Israeli state was declared. But Palestine is still unable to create an independent state. What is the reason for that?

- As a result of the 1948 war, Israel occupied more than 22 per cent of historical Palestinian lands, which is over 56 per cent of lands indicated in the UN resolution, thus leaving the Palestinians with only 44 per cent of the land that they were supposed to have under the same resolution. Within the historical context, the UN resolution was viewed as unfair by the Palestinians and the Arab countries then. It failed to take into account the formula that included the demographic situation and the factor of landownership. By that time, Jews composed only 32 per cent of the total population and owned less than 9 per cent of historical Palestine. The prevailing international and regional conditions after the war made it very hard for the Palestinians to keep the rest of their land. It is important to point out that the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people is calling for the establishment of a sovereign independent Palestinian state through a peace process within the green line of 5 June 1967 in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, including East Jerusalem (22 per cent of the land) and recognizes the state of Israel within the remaining 78 per cent of the land to coexist and live in peace next to each other.

- Do you think the current policy of the Palestinian government aimed at creating a Palestinian government is satisfactory?

- The Palestinian president and leadership are doing all they can to push the peace process forward and establish a sovereign Palestinian state living in peace side by side with Israel and have succeeded in cooperating with the IMF, World Bank, UN and other relevant international organizations to build institutions of the state. Accordingly, Palestine is ready for its independence. It is imperative to understand that not only Palestinians but also Israelis need peace. To bring peace to fruition, all parties need to work in good faith. The unfortunate reality is that the hard-line government of Mr Netanyahu and some of the most extreme far-right politicians such as Lieberman have been in power in Israel for more than 3 years. This government is shackled by its own narrow ideological viewpoint; hence this government has embarked on a series of unilateral actions like the illegal settlement building inside the occupied Palestinian territories, which continues unabated. Moreover, Israel sets new conditions that run counter to the established and agreed terms of reference such as international law, UN resolutions and the road map. All these measures are meant to subvert the spirit and substance of the peace process, which became possible as a result of the efforts of international leaders and some Israeli politicians.

- When will the Israeli-Palestinian conflict come to an end? And do you see a shimmer of peace?

- The irony is that the majority of the Palestinian and Israeli people want to live in peace in two neighbouring states. As soon as serious Israeli politicians break free of ideological limitations and understand that it's in the long-term interests of the living and coming generations of our two peoples, peoples of the region and the rest of the world, it will be possible to achieve a just and comprehensive peace. I think peace is achievable and as President Abbas said, the two sides were close to an agreement had it not been for the unexpected elections that brought Netanyahu to power.

- Do you think that the recent developments in neighbouring countries such as Libya, Syria and Egypt can affect the domestic policy of Palestine and your relations with those countries?

- The Palestinians are conducting a policy of non-interference in the affairs of other countries especially if they are brotherly or friendly countries. The events of the so-called Arab spring attracted most of the attention of the international community, thus temporarily putting the issue of Palestine out of the spotlight. But that shouldn't be mistaken as relegation of the issue of Palestine to the backburner in those countries. On the contrary, relations continue to be very good with all those countries.

- What kind of change in relations between the two countries happened after the president of the Palestinian state, Mahmud Abbas, paid his first official visit to Azerbaijan?

- Relations between Azerbaijan and Palestine are historical and go many generations back. Hence, the existing broad historical and cultural bonds that bind our two fraternal peoples. But within the context of the more recent times, this year witnessed the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. The Palestinian embassy in Baku opened in February 2011 after a kind brotherly invitation from President Ilham Aliyev and the government of Azerbaijan. This is a testament to the unflinching support of Azerbaijan for Palestine. Three months after that, President Mahmud Abbas paid his visit during which the two sides expressed their solidarity with each other, and President Aliyev in no uncertain terms reiterated Azerbaijan's decisive support for a sovereign independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital. That visit gave a momentum to the bilateral relations in the spheres of political cooperation, culture, education, trade and capacity-building for Palestinians through training programmes and so on. 

- Jerusalem is considered a holy city. But peace has not come here for many years. Will the struggle for this city disturb its quietness and spirit?

- Jerusalem (Al-Quds) is a unique city built approximately in 3000 BC by the "Jebusites", one of the Canaanite tribes that inhabited Palestine at that time, forefathers of today's Palestinians. It is unique because it has special status with the followers of the three monotheistic religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism), and despite the 24 attempts to destroy it through history, it is called a city of peace. It is true; Al-Quds (Jerusalem) is the principal address through which peace could be achieved, and the ultimate symbol for peaceful coexistence. But unfortunately instead of this, Mr Netanyahu's Israeli government blinded by its ideology fails to see the opportunity the city provides for peace, and goes into frenzy of illegal land grab and settlement building in and around East Jerusalem, strangulating it in an attempt to separate it from its natural Palestinian environment of the West Bank in a severe blow to the peace process.