Socialist International Supports Establishment of Palestinian Statehood

The Socialist International (SI) has underlined its support for the Palestinian people in their quest for freedom and the establishment and recognition of an independent Palestinian State, and called on to accept its full membership in the United Nations. Concluding its meetings in Athens last night, the SI stressed the Palestinian people\'s right in establishing their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, It also reaffirmed its commitment to the international law which end the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 in order to achieve the permanent peace based on the two-state solution. The SI stressed the urgent need to revive the peace negotiations in order to reach a final peace settlement in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, the Madrid Conference for Peace and the Arab peace initiative. It confirmed that the Israeli settlement activities in the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, are illegal and represent a flagrant violation of the international law and a major obstacle in the peace process. The SI welcomed the Palestinian national reconciliation and called on all parties to accept all agreements reached with the Palestinian Authority.