Palestinians commemorate 19th anniversary of their independence

Thursday November 15, 2007 17:23 by Ghassan Bannoura - IMEMC News

"By the name of God and the Palestinian nation, I announce the creation of the Palestinian independent state and Jerusalem as its capital."

Palestinian falg - File 2005

Those were the words of the Palestinian late President and leader Yasser Arafat when he announced the Independence of the Palestinians in 1988.

The announcement came during the nineteenth session of the National council of the Palestinian liberation Organization that took place in Algeria.

For the Palestinians that announcement was a call to arms to resist the Israeli occupation, a call that many continue to answer until this very day. 

In the past year the Palestinian nation has had to struggle on many different fronts, not only with occupation but with inter-factional violence between Fatah and Hamas, and with the dividing of the nation between the West Bank and Gaza.

According to the Palestinian Declaration of Independence document, The State of Palestine is the state of Palestinians wherever they may be. The state is for them to enjoy, it is theirs to pursue in  complete equality of rights. In it will be safeguarded their political and religious beliefs and their human dignity by means of a parliamentary democratic system of governance, itself based on freedom of expression and the freedom to form parties. The rights of minorities will duly be respected by the majority, and minorities must abide by decisions of the majority.

The State of Palestine is an Arab state, an integral and indivisible part of the Arab nation, at one with that nation in heritage and civilization, with it also in its aspiration for liberation, progress, democracy and unity.

The State of Palestine affirms its obligation to abide by the Charter of the League of Arab States, whereby the coordination of the Arab states with each other shall be strengthened. The State of Palestine proclaims its commitment to the principles and purposes of the United Nations, and to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It proclaims its commitment as well to the principles and policies of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Today Palestinian conducted rallies across the West Bank and Gaza Strip calling for national unity and an end to Israeli occupation.

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