On the 15th of November of each year, our Palestinian people commemorate the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
On this day, the late President Yasser Arafat announced in the Sonobar Palace in Algeria during the 19th session of the Palestinian National Council in 1988, the establishment of the State of Palestine on our Palestinian land, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that “by virtue of the natural, historical and legal right of the Palestinian Arab people to its homeland, Palestine, and of the sacrifices of its succeeding generations in defence of the freedom and independence of that homeland, pursuant to the resolutions of the Arab Summit Conferences and on the basis of the international legitimacy embodied in the resolutions of the United Nations since 1947, and through the exercise by the Palestinian Arab people of its right to self-determination, political independence and sovereignty over its territory”.
On this day, we commemorate the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, who formulated the Declaration of Independence with all his precision, care and eloquence, summarizing in it the pains, dreams and aspirations of the Palestinian people who were valiantly fighting in the 1987 Intifada facing the Israeli machine of oppression, nourishing with their blood the riches of their homeland, and recording a historical epopee and sagas of heroism and redemption.
The Declaration of Independence became the Palestinian peace message addressed to the whole world, saying: The Palestinians want to live in security and peace on a part of the historic territories of Palestine, making a painful concession in order to establish their state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Declaration of Independence affirmed that the State of Palestine is an Arab state, and it is an integral part of the Arab Nation from its heritage and civilization, and from its present ambition to achieve its goals of liberation, development, democracy and unity.
After delivering the Declaration by the Palestinian National Council, the peace-loving countries of the world adherent to justice and believing in the right of peoples to self-determination and to chart their future in their own will – hastened to recognize the State of Palestine declared in the Declaration of Independence, and opened their doors for establishing Palestinian embassies and representations on their lands.
However, Israel rejected the historic and courageous Palestinian decision, and continued with its hostile and oppressive policies against the Palestinians, its occupation of the Palestinian lands, and worked hard to impose its hegemony by judaizing them, and building more settlements on them to change the facts on the ground and prevent the realization of the cherished Palestinian dream of establishing the independent State of Palestine.
Since that day, the Palestinian people and their only legitimate representative (the Palestine Liberation Organization) began their fateful battle to fulfill the dream of the State of Palestine using all legitimate means of struggle. The return of the Palestinian leadership to the homeland, and the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority was the major step towards achieving the dream of a state by means of building the national Palestinian executive, legislative, judicial and security institutions as an extension of the institutions and departments of the Palestine Liberation Organization, thus forming the basic building blocks of the desired independent State of Palestine, leading to the conviction of the international community in the necessity of establishing the independent State of Palestine with its full sovereignty. That was done through many international initiatives, such as the Arab initiative. However, Israel’s intransigence and refusal to abide by the agreements signed with the Palestinians, its disregard for international peace initiatives, and its disobedience to the resolutions of international legitimacy still represent a stumbling block to the sovereignty of the Palestinians over the territories of their independent State of Palestine.
Despite the proclamation of the Declaration of Independence, the Palestinian people are still suffering under the Israeli occupation, and Israel is still continuing its crimes against the Palestinian people, settling and plundering Palestinian lands, practicing its racist policies by continuing to build settlements and the wall of annexation, expansion and apartheid, working on judaization of Jerusalem, displacing its people and demolishing their homes, committing war crimes, and refusing to comply with international legitimacy.
On the other hand, the Palestinian people and their leadership are still committed to their principles and their national rights, believing that the only way towards achieving a just and comprehensive peace in the region can only pass through the gateway of ending the Israeli occupation and recognizing the right of the Palestinian people to full sovereignty over the lands of their independent State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, as well as total obtaining their legitimate national rights.
In this context, the Palestinian diplomacy under the leadership of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, succeeded on November 29, 2012 in obtaining the United Nations General Assembly’s decision to adopt the State of Palestine as a “non-member observer” at the United Nations.
The Declaration of Independence is a source of political, cultural and historical pride and glory for the Palestinian people, and it summarizes their will and national aspirations to achieve their independence and establish an independent, sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital. On this occasion our people and their leadership affirm their adherence to national constants, and reject all suspicious deals that go beyond Palestinian rights supported by resolutions of international legitimacy, foremost of which are the right to self-determination, the establishment of a state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the right of return.
On this day, our people bow down in tribute and honor to the souls of the martyrs who, with their pure blood, illuminated the path of freedom, dignity and victory, and affirm that they remain faithful to their covenant and oath.
