Arafat’s speech of December 31, 2002, raised the following key points:
· A call to Israel to carry out a complete withdrawal from all Arab and Muslim territories.
· A request to the Quartet to send international inspectors.
· A plea to the international community to solve the Iraqi crisis by peaceful means.
· A greeting to prisoners in Israeli jails and the families of those killed and wounded in the Palestinian uprising.
· Extending his hand for peace while emphasizing that the Sharon government has destroyed every peace proposal and every agreement that has been signed.
Below are extracts from the speech, broadcast live on Palestinian television, which Arafat delivered from his office in Ramallah:
“I say in the clearest way possible that the Palestinian people are hoping for a just, lasting and full peace, a peace of the brave which we signed with our late partner, Yitzhak Rabin on the basis of founding an independent Palestinian state with holy Jerusalem its capital, alongside the State of Israel.” Arafat went on to say: “How is it possible to achieve peace and security whilst the occupation continues; there is an escalation in military attacks against our people and our holy places; whilst the insidious, cancerous colonization continues (in the territories captured in 1967)…whilst our holy places, both Christian and Muslim are destroyed and surrounded by belts of settlements whose aim is to Judaize these territories and to remove all religious, cultural and historical symbols?”
“The Israeli government has been intent on destroying all agreements, to burn all bridges and to cancel all security agreements between us. It has also destroyed our security institutions and believes that murder, destruction, siege and assassinations will force our people to surrender…but I say to all Israelis that imposing their will on the Palestinian people is clearly not possible…”
As regards the subject of suicide bombings, Arafat turned to the Palestinian people and said; “We oppose all violent actions against both Israeli and Palestinian citizens, despite the barbarous and horrifying crimes which the “Occupation army” and settlers carry out against Palestinian citizens on a daily basis. Therefore I say and I keep on saying that from the beginning we have opposed looking on citizens as a target (for violent actions) whether they be Israelis or Palestinians. We are fighting for our freedom and the return of our occupied land and the founding of our independent state in accordance with legitimate international decisions…”
In the context of reforms in the Palestinian Authority, Arafat said that the democratic process is something ingrained in the Palestinian people. He added that Israel disrupted the attempts of the Palestinian Authority to hold democratic elections for its respective institutions on January 20, 2003, but the Palestinian people are intent on establishing a functioning democratic and parliamentary process.
Arafat concluded his speech calling for the UN Security Council and the Quartet to act speedily to send international inspectors to the Palestinian territories to put an end to the blood bath the IDF and the settlers are conducting against the Palestinian people. Arafat praised the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, for his invitation to hold a summit in London to discuss establishing a peace process and for strengthening Palestinian democracy.
Concluding remark: The last article on this subject noted that except for two greeting notices in the Palestinian newspapers to celebrate the anniversary of Fatah, there was hardly any additional attention given to the event. This seems to indicate that the popularity of the PA is on the decline.