Engaging for peace - the International Year of solidarity with the Palestinian People
Quito, 25 and 26 March 2014
and
UNITED NATIONS MEETING OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN SUPPORT OF ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE
Engaging civil society in Latin America and the Caribbean for the two-State solution
Quito, 27 March 2014
A. Plenary session I
Advancing peace between Israelis and Palestinians: obstacles and opportunities
Support by Latin American and Caribbean countries for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine
The role of non-governmental actors in Latin America and the Caribbean in promoting a permanent settlement of the conflict
48. Edward (Edy) Kaufman, Senior Research Scholar at the Department of Government and Politics, Center for International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland, focused his presentation on the role of the Arab and Jewish diasporas in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In many cases, he said, diasporas maintained sustained concern for the situation in their countries of origin, particularly at times of violent disputes. He pointed to the phenomenon called “long-distance nationalism”, which referred to the fact that many members of the diasporas held more extreme positions than those still experiencing the conflict on a day-to-day basis in the homeland. Armenians, Kurds, Irish-Catholics and Sri Lankan Tamils were examples of this tendency in diasporas. These groups could be defined as “ethno-political”, as their stand vis-à-vis the conflict was not ideological, but rather based on a shared ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity. In Latin America in particular, he explained, that the Consensus for Palestinian-Israeli Peace, comprising members of the local Palestinian and Jewish communities, was looking at ways to work together in support of the peace process, based on their shared values. The Consensus project was not theoretical, but rather a field-based approach, with “chapters” in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. The “laboratory” existing in this region could also be very useful for Europe and the United States as an example of cooperation between Palestinians and Jews supporting the two-State solution. 49. By way of background, he recalled that Arabs and Jews had converged in significant numbers in their migration to Latin America and the Caribbean, mostly since the early twentieth century. Drawing a distinction between voluntary diaspora as part of economic emigration and involuntary diaspora owing to violent conflict or exile, he pointed to the different nature of the Jewish and Palestinian communities living abroad. However, the Latin American and Caribbean region had also experienced a growing threat and the actual use of violence related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hence, instead of “exporting” their previous good experience of coexistence to the fractured Middle East, diasporas were now perceived as “importing” this conflict into Latin America. Back in the Holy Land, in spite of the growing impact of the peace spoilers driven primarily by fanatic religious convictions (i.e., Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Islamists in Gaza), there were still Israeli and Palestinian NGOs that were investing their energy in support of the current negotiations. 50. Turning to the presence of Jews and Arabs in Latin America and the Caribbean, he noted that in recent years there had been some 500,000 Jews in the region, of which around 30 per cent had returned to Israel, while the numbers of Arabs were much larger, in the millions, with Palestinians constituting a portion of them. The largest Palestinian community in Latin America and the Caribbean was based in Chile, followed by El Salvador and Uruguay. 51. In closing, he stressed the need to bridge the two diasporas through resilience, mutual trust and a people-to-people approach. Back in the shared homeland, such efforts needed to be supported not only by Governments around the world, but also by their Latin American and Caribbean brothers and peacebuilders. 52. Mariela Volcovich, a representative of the Argentine chapter of the Consensus for Palestinian-Israeli Peace and a psychologist by training, outlined the purpose of her organization as a group of citizens from different Latin American and Caribbean countries who, in their personal capacities, strived to contribute to peace and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. An Argentine national, Volcovich stressed that in her country in particular, the goal of the Consensus was to create a space for dialogue and facilitate education and training that would enable Israelis and Palestinians to recognize their common heritage and identity. This was particularly important to combat the prejudice and ignorance present in the communities. 53. Since the past century, Arabs and Jews had settled in Latin America and the Caribbean and found ways to live together harmoniously. Oftentimes however, as illustrated by Edward Kaufman, diasporas had the tendency to re-create the polarized and sometimes violent dynamics of the conflict in the homeland, in what was referred to as “long-distance nationalism”. This animosity negatively influenced relations between the two communities, resulting in hostility. The idea behind the Consensus, she explained, was to create an opportunity for dialogue, taking advantage of the physical distance from the actual conflict. Moreover, members of the organization were convinced that Latin America and the Caribbean could play a positive and active role in conflict transformation, complementary to the efforts undertaken at the intergovernmental level. Volcovich presented some regional examples, such as “Lado a lado” an initiative of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that brought together Arab and Jewish leaders of South American institutions to work together on multitrack diplomacy; the request by Argentine civil society that President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner take an active role in supporting mediation efforts vis-à-vis the conflict in Gaza; and similar calls to the Governments of the region by the Palestinian-Israeli Peace NGO Forum. Despite the number of regional initiatives, she admitted, few had resulted in conflict transformation at the people-to-people level that would go beyond the usual intergovernmental processes. While saluting the commitment and the initiatives of Latin America and the Caribbean in this regard, she encouraged the region to pursue these efforts in a more systematic manner and with specific and concrete actions. 54. Omar Al Kaddour, another representative of the Argentine chapter of the Consensus, at the outset stressed that he, like all his fellow members of organization, fully supported the two-State solution, including a just solution to all the final status issues on the question of Palestine. He recalled his Arab origins and said he was a peace activist focusing on efforts to build a culture of meeting, of rapprochement. He explained that members of the Argentine chapter met regularly to discuss ideas. A recent example of that engagement was a workshop on multitrack diplomacy, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Buenos Aries, that had been attended by some of the members of the Consensus who were also present at the Meeting in Quito. The Consensus viewed “people diplomacy” as complementary to the traditional intergovernmental track. Another initiative, he continued, had taken place in December 2012 and January 2013, when the chapter linked its work with the executive and legislative branches of the State, even bringing to the attention of the presidency a plan of action on possible concrete ways to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Among the ideas that had been put forward was a high-level conference on Israeli-Palestinian peace among the members of the Union of South American Nations combined with a grassroots conference. Unfortunately at that time, owing to political constraints in the region, the idea could not take shape. He then outlined another initiative organized by the chapter focused on discussions with parliamentarians, including a planned visit to the Knesset by members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Argentine Senate to meet with the two-State solution caucus and have an exchange on the Arab Peace Initiative. Some weeks prior, he continued, chapter members had been able to accompany a rabbi, a priest and members of the Muslim community on a trip to the Holy Land coordinated by the Institute of Interreligious Dialogue in Buenos Aries. They had had the unique opportunity to meet with Palestinian civil servants, parliamentarians and the Orthodox Patriarch, and had completed the initiative in Rome, where they had met with the Pope. Mr. Al Kaddour emphasized that the organization’s approach was to strike a political, ethnic and religious balance between the two sides and, in keeping with its unbiased position, devote an equal amount of time and attention to both, providing the Consensus with greater legitimacy. He then highlighted some of the most recent initiatives undertaken by Pope Francis, who had called on world leaders to avoid military action and/or to join him in a day of prayer. He stressed that the Pope’s stance combined spirituality with political action. Admitting that he was an optimist, Al Kaddour highlighted the importance of focusing on the “humanism” equally present in Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Emphasizing the human side of all of us would allow the cultures to meet and promote a shared vision of a world in which love for the other, dignity, human rights and peace were at the core of our existence. These principles were the basis of the document entitled “South American commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace”, drafted by the Consensus members of present at the Meeting in Quito. 55. In the discussion that followed, speakers focused on divestment from and the boycotting of Israel institutions, including Israeli universities. In particular, the discussion flagged the Brazilian Government as the largest contractor with Israeli military firms in South America and the second largest in the world, in contradiction to its verbal denouncement of the occupation. It was remarked that South-South cooperation had a long tradition of fighting against colonization and oppression, and the paradox regarding the case of Brazil was blatant and needed to be highlighted. Support for boycotts was also discussed. Regarding the issue of apartheid practices by Israel, it was noted that 60 per cent of Palestinians living in the West Bank had never visited Jerusalem and 20 per cent had never seen the Mediterranean Sea. The network of checkpoints and segregation that amounted to collective punishment, the discriminatory laws adopted by the Knesset that de facto degraded Israeli Arabs to second-class citizens, and laws regarding intermarriage and family reunification and residence permits for East Jerusalem were all mentioned as partandparcel of an apartheid regime. One speaker stressed how the rhetoric of accusation and pointing fingers based on historical events was counterproductive and harmful to Palestinian and Israeli reconciliation efforts. Likewise, it was noted that while the efforts aimed at creating a space for dialogue were not enough to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they were nonetheless the contribution of many willing to walk the path of understanding and openness in view of finding a lasting peace.
57. Hani A. Remawi, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Ecuador, stated that the struggle and sacrifices endured by the Palestinian people could not be diminished to less than what represented a just peace, and no compromises could be made on the pre-1967 borders, the Jordan Valley, East Jerusalem or the solution of the issue of refugees, pursuant to United Nations resolutions, including General Assembly resolution 194 (III) of 11 December 1948. While recognizing that the State of Israel had been based, at its inception, on the values of democracy, pluralism and equality, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, he wondered if those values were still valid today, as the Government of Israel seemed to disavow them. Peace was justice, he declared, not murder, walls or settlements. There was no road ahead other than a two-State solution, and it was time that Israel prepared its people for peace. 58. Abdou Salam Diallo, Chair of the Committee, in his closing statement, commended the Ecuadorian authorities for their hospitality and the full support of Ecuador for the Palestinian cause. During the three days of deliberations, he continued, many useful ideas had been submitted about what could be done during the 2014 International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. In particular, participants had noted that more serious and concrete action must be taken against Israel’s illegal settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The Committee had never questioned the legitimate existence of the State of Israel, he stated, but the continued illegal settlement policies of Israel as the occupying Power needed to be addressed by the international community. He noted with encouragement the recent wave of announcements by major European banks and pension funds severing ties with Israeli companies involved in illegal settlements. The Committee also supported calls by various Governments for the labelling of merchandise produced in settlements, so to give consumers a choice. In closing, he said that the Committee counted on the initiative and resourcefulness of all its partners in designing and undertaking advocacy and mobilization initiatives in the Latin American and Caribbean region and all over the world during the 2014 International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
Summary of the Chair
20. The Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Ecuador reminded participants that the President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, with the support of the Palestinian people, was resolute in not compromising on a single square metre of Palestinian land. An independent Palestinian State must be created on the basis of the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the adoption of United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19 was the first step in that direction. The current status quo was unacceptable, he stressed, recalling General Assembly resolution 194 (III) and the Arab Peace Initiative as among the existing tools for advancing the Palestinian cause. He called on the Government of Israel to live up to the principles of the democratic and non-discriminatory State that Israel claimed to be. Peace was justice, he said, not the settlements, the wall and the violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people. In conclusion, he thanked the Government and the people of Ecuador for their hospitality and their unwavering support for the Palestinian people, and expressed hope for further fruitful cooperation between the two States. 21. The Chair of the Committee expressed his gratitude to the representative of Ecuador for outlining concrete commitments and offering personal support in the organization of regional initiatives in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Latin America. The Chair also noted Ecuador’s support for the convening by the Committee, later in 2014, of an international meeting of parliamentarians in New York in support of the Palestinian people. Summing up the results of discussions during the Meeting, the Chair welcomed the multitude of ideas put forward by participants for the 2014 International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. He also reiterated his appreciation for the concrete actions taken, such as the measures of some European banks to sever their ties with companies carrying out business activities in the Israeli settlements in the West Bank, or measures requiring the labelling of Israeli goods produced in settlements as such. The Chair concluded by calling for the cooperation and support of the intergovernmental, non-governmental and academic entities present at the Meeting to help end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
List of participants
Speakers
Omar Al Kaddour Consenso Argentino por la Paz Palestino-Israeli (Argentine Consensus for Palestinian Israeli Peace) Buenos Aires
Diego Arria Political Analyst New York
Ziad Asali President American Task Force on Palestine Washington, D.C.
Emad Burnat Filmmaker Ramallah
Arlene Elizabeth Clemesha Professor of Arab History Centre for Arab Studies University of São Paulo São Paulo
Juan Raúl Ferreira President Uruguay-Israel Cultural Institute Montevideo
Edward (Edy) Kaufman Senior Research Scholar Department of Government and Politics Centre for International Development and Conflict Management University of Maryland, College Park
Adriana Mabilia Journalist Brasilia
Yaniv Shacham Campaigns and New Media manager Peace Now Tel Aviv
Mariela Volcovich Consenso Argentino por la Paz Palestino-Israeli (Argentine Consensus for Palestinian Israeli Peace) Buenos Aires
Rafael Guendelman Hales Videographer Consenso Chileno por la Paz Palestino-Israeli Santiago
Leonel Groisman Consenso Uruguayo por la Paz Palestino-Israeli Montevideo
Maia Guiskin Anthropologist Universidad de Chile Consenso Chileno por la Paz Palestino-Israeli Santiago
Abder Rahim Jbara Husein Consenso Uruguayo por la Paz Palestino-Israeli Montevideo
Zahir Tanin Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations Vice-Chair of the Committee
Christopher Grima Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations Rapporteur of the Committee
Riyad Mansour Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations
Sidhartha Marin Ambassador of Nicaragua to Ecuador, representing H.E. Mrs. María Rubiales de Chamorro, Vice-Chair of the Committee
Brazil Fernando Simas Magalhães Ambassador to Ecuador
Renato Domith Godinho Head of Political Department Embassy of Brazil in Ecuador
Canada Gabriel Frappier Political Attaché Embassy of Canada in Ecuador
Chile Juan Pablo Lira Ambassador to Ecuador
Felipe Aravena
Cuba Jorge Rodríguez Hernández Ambassador to Ecuador
José Julián Calasague Minister of Consular Affairs
Dominican Republic Victor Reynaldo Lora Díaz Ambassador to Ecuador
Ecuador Leonardo Arízaga Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility
Diego Morejón Ambassador Under Secretary of International Organizations
Diego Stacey Moreno Ambassador Director of Asia and Oceania
Walter Schuldt Espinel Director of Environment and Climate, Change Affairs
Helena Yánez Minister and Director of the United Nations System
Alexandra Haro Minister, Directorate of the United Nations System
José Eduardo Proaño First Secretary Permanent Mission of Ecuador to the United Nations New York
Egypt Hacem Zaki Chargé d’affaires Embassy of Egypt in Ecuador
El Salvador Luis Alberto Cisneros Córdova Ambassador to Ecuador
Carlos Brizuela Counsellor
Guatemala Rebeca Monzón Rojao Ambassador to Ecuador
Cindy Paz Counsellor
Indonesia Herman Djatmiko Minister Counsellor
Robby Schirul Third Secretary
Rafael Alex Ortiz Alarcón Translator Embassy of Indonesia in Ecuador
Italy Gianni Piccato Ambassador to Ecuador
Iran (Islamic Republic of) Ahmad Pabarja Ambassador to Ecuador
Ahmad Farajpour Sharifabad Encargado de Asuntos Económicos y Comerciales
Maziar Raja Mohammadhossein Ghazaei
Japan Yumi Katsuta Third Secretary Embassy of Japan in Ecuador
Kuwait Bader Nasser Al Saqer Third Secretary Embassy of Kuwait in Chile
Lebanon Assaad Zard Consul of Lebanon in Quito
Wissam Maksoud Assistant
Malaysia Ganeson Sivagurunathan, Ambassador to Chile
Mauritania Jiddou Ould Abderrahman Chargé d’affaires, a.i. Permanent Mission of Mauritania to the United Nations New York
Mexico Jaime del Arena Ambassador to Ecuador
Nicaragua Sidhartha Marin Ambassador to Ecuador
Franklin Duarte Palma First Secretary
Paraguay María José Argaña Ambassador to Ecuador
Haydee Aquino First Secretary
Peru Elmo Vargas Chacón Second Secretary Embassy of Peru in Ecuador
Russian Federation Yan Burliay Ambassador to Ecuador
Alexander Mironov Counsellor
Sergey Chirkin Counsellor
Evgeny Belsky Second Secretary
Olga Romovskaya Attaché
Daria Kopylova Attaché
Spain Luis Francisco García Lumbreras First Secretary Embassy of Spain in Ecuador
Turkey Korkut Güngen Ambassador to Ecuador
Ýlknor Bademli Angel Counsellor
Ukraine Francisco Lasso de la Torre, Honorary Consul of Ukraine to Ecuador Honorary Consulate of Ukraine in Guayaquil
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) María Lourdes Urbaneja Durant Ambassador to Ecuador
Oscar Upegui Minister Counsellor
UN-Habitat Mónica Quintana Molina Programme Manager
United Nations Volunteers Piera Zuccherin Coordinator
World Food Programme Pablo Recalde WFP Representative and Country Director, West Bank and Gaza (oPt) Natalina Cremonesi
Naila Asali Board Member
Asociación Americana de Juristas (American Association of Jurists) Hernán Rivadeneira Játiva Secretary General
Jorge Alpino Acosta Cisneros Member Advisory Board and the Ecuador Chapter
Sandra Isabel Correa León Member Advisory Board and the Ecuador Chapter
Club Árabe Ecuatoriano Nabil Zabana President
Mohammed Sabbah Committee member
Adnan Sayan Committee member
George Jaraiseh Committee member
Consenso Argentino por la Paz Palestino-Israeli (Argentine Consensus for Palestinian Israeli Peace)
Omar Al Kaddour
Mariela Volcovich
Consenso Chileno por la Paz Palestino-Israeli Rafael Guendelman Hales Member Santiago
Consenso Uruguayo por la Paz Palestino-Israeli Leonel Groisman Member
Front in Defense of the Palestinian People Pedro Ferraracio Charbel Member
Programa Ecumenico de Acompañamiento en Palestina e Israel Alicia Herrera Moreno Volunteer in coordination team
Iván Balarezo Local Coordinator
Peace Now Yaniv Itamar Shacham Campaigns and News Media Manager
Servicio Paz y Justicia Brasil (SERPAJ-BRASIL) Rosalvo Salgueiro National Coordinator
Carlos Alberto da Silva Noya Collaborator
UN Welfare Organization María Eugenia Morales
Uruguay-Israel Cultural Institute Juan Raúl Ferreira, President
Linda Arias de Guijarro Professor Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
Eduardo Crespo Professor Universidad de los Hemisferios
Diego Donoso Professor Universidad Internacional SEK
Canal 1 TV José Ignacio Arévalo reporter
Angel Ramirez cameraman
Diario PP El Verdadero Byron Cervantes reporter
El Universo Sugey Hajjar Sanchez editor
Prensa Latina Reina Ignacia Magdariaga Larduet
Telesur Henry Pillajo coordinator
Jorge Puente V. production assistant
Antonio Lescono cameraman
Diego Alejandro Gallegos Rojas (referred by the Director of the Institute of International Studies of the Central University of Ecuador)
Abdullah Qasem A. Ahmed Al Sharabi media and human rights activist, representing the Federal Organization of Democracy Development for Foreign Affairs-Yemen
María del Pilar Azanza university professor
María Mercedes Salgado university professor