03.12.15
His Excellency Manuel Hassassian was invited to speak at the World Policy Conference (WPC), the annual forum of the French Institute of International Relations, in Switzerland last week.
The WPC aims to create a forum of discussion and reflection for global and international relations with the aim to improve all aspects of global governance. It brings together political and business leaders, representatives of civil society, academics and journalists to suggest constructive solutions to major regional and international challenges.
His Excellency Hassassian was invited to contribute and debate in the plenary session, ‘Israeli and Palestinian dialogue’ with Itamar Rabinovich. Ambassador Hassassian expressed the view, in no uncertain terms, that justice for Palestine and resuming negotiations is pivotal for the future of the Middle East. American attempts to broker a solution have utterly failed. This is why new strategies and new players are needed. One such player which can play a definitive part, at this juncture, is the United Nations. It can help broker a peace which is fair and lasting based on UN resolutions and international law.
The Ambassador stated that if new positive strategies are not adopted, Israel will continue its uncompromising aggressive policies. These, however, will never make the Palestinians kneel to dictat. What is desperately needed is a political solution which results in two independent states, Palestine and Israel side by side. Israel, however, has shown no sign of making a two state solution a reality and has even done its best to sabotage it with its continued land expropriation and policies of occupation. This will create a politik real on the ground where a two state solution will no longer be possible.