Palestine asks for more global pressure on Israel: Envoy

Lilian Budianto and Veeramalla Anjaiah ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 05/08/2008 1:49 PM  |  World

Establishing a diplomatic relationship with Israel will not contribute to the peace process but jeopardize Palestine's efforts to resolve conflict in the Middle East, says the Palestinian ambassador to Indonesia.

Ambassador Fariz N. Mehdawi said all countries had to disengage with Israel and put pressure on the Jewish state to encourage a peaceful settlement of the conflict, which has lasted over six decades.

"If you engage with Israel and think it will help them, you are wrong. It will just make them even more arrogant and stubborn," Mehdawi told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday as Palestinians prepared to mourn the six decades of Naqbah (catastrophe).

The term refers to the Palestinians' loss of their homeland, as well as the defeat of the five Arab armies immediately after Israel was established in May 1948. The conflicts led to the displacement of some 700,000 Palestinians from their homes.

The occupation continued when Israel seized the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and the Sinai Peninsula in the following decades, not only killing Palestinians, but also etching relationships with most of its neighbors, including Syria, Lebanon and Iran.

Mehdawi compared his people's struggle with that of the South Africans, who fought against apartheid.

"The whole world united to isolate the apartheid regime in South Africa. In the end, the regime bowed to global pressures," he said.

Likewise, Mehdawi said, Palestinians wanted countries like Indonesia to refrain from establishing diplomatic ties until a peaceful settlement was reached.

"We want more global pressure on Israel," Mehdawi said.

In the last few years, several countries, including Egypt, China and India, have built diplomatic ties with Israel after decades of isolation. The Indonesian government has also been approached to establish a similar relationship with the Jewish state, which enjoys a stable economy from its powerful military industry, a booming high-tech sector and possibly undisclosed nuclear arsenal, as has been alleged.

Mehdawi said Indonesia, with its strong regional and global influence, plays a significant roll in Middle Eastern peace efforts.

"Other Asian and Middle Eastern countries hold Indonesia in high regard, so this country can be very helpful in promoting a peace settlement through its foreign policy.

"As Indonesia wants to have a better economic relationship with the Middle East, it has to help ensure peace there first. Because as long as the conflict goes on, they will not be able to establish a relationship. If the issue is resolved, the whole world will benefit," Mehdawi said.

As the Palestinians continue to suffer from the oppression of the Jewish state, Israel has prepared to host foreign dignitaries, including U.S. President George W. Bush, to celebrate its 60th anniversary.

Mehdawi said the anniversary should be a time to commemorate the failure to uphold human rights, rather than a celebration of the success of a country that has displaced thousands of Palestinians with daily bombings, which have claimed countless innocent lives.

"Sixty years is both a long time and a short time. I see it as a long time because I don't see the occupation as a success," he said.

"Israel is not a country everybody is proud to have a relationship with it. Israel is condemned by the United Nations through various resolutions. If they want to celebrate such a thing, they have to end the suffering and let people feel secure."

Insecurity is common among Israelis. An opinion poll published in April by the Haaretz daily showed 34 percent of Israelis feared Iran would acquire a nuclear weapon and 21 percent believed there could be a war with Lebanon. Only 4 percent said they were not afraid.

Israel said Monday significant progress had been made on future Palestinian borders during "the most serious talks the two sides have ever had".

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas engaged in discussions ahead of President Bush's visit for the Israel anniversary.

Since the U.S. conference on the issue in Annapolis last November, a peace settlement has been stalled as the two countries stood deeply divided on core issues, including borders, Palestinian refugees, Jewish settlements and the status of Jerusalem.

Mehdawi hailed Abbas as the most moderate leader Palestine had ever had.

Palestinian people, Mehdawi said, want a peaceful solution. Even the hardline militant organization and political party Hamas said recently if Abbas reached an agreement on the establishment of a Palestinian state approved by Palestinians through a referendum, it would honor the peace agreement.

"We have been too generous, our neighbors are not even happy with what we have offered. They think it's too much," said Mehdawi.

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