Dr. Erekat marking 19 years of the Oslo Accords: “Israel’s impunity is destroying the last hope for a two-state solution”

“Israel’s complete lack of accountability for its actions has led to a culture of impunity that threatens to destroy the last hope for a two-state solution” said Chief Palestinian Negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, on the commemoration of 19 years since the signing of the Oslo Interim Agreement.

“Our hope for peace and justice has been destroyed by Israeli bulldozers and a culture of racism and hatred espoused within Israeli society. This horrific reality has been facilitated by the immunity which Israel has been granted by  the international community.”

Furthermore, Dr. Erekat reminded the international community that “the problems we face today have been intensified by the lack of political will to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law and human rights. The interim agreements were supposed to last for five years. But what we see two decades later is apartheid rather than freedom and independence.”

“Most of the Israeli settlements and their associated infrastructure have been built during the past 19 years. The number of settlers has more than doubled during this time, while forced displacement, home demolitions, ID revocations and land confiscations continue to be a daily reality in Palestine”.

Dr. Erekat concluded by calling upon the international community to “come up with new measures in dealing with Israel if it wishes to see different results. Statements are not enough.  What we need are political decisions and concrete actions, which include holding Israel accountable for its violations of international law, boycotting settlement products, recognizing the state of Palestine, and supporting its admission in the United Nations. Under the current circumstances, this is the only viable peaceful and diplomatic step towards peace.”

Dr Erekat also reiterated his call on Israel to free all Palestinian prisoners from the pre- Oslo period. “These prisoners were supposed to be over a decade ago as per signed agreements between the PLO and Israel. Yet today they remain in Israeli jails. This is  another example of egregious Israeli violation of previous agreements. The international community must take concrete steps towards holding Israel accountable.”