Udenrigsudvalget 2014-15 (1. samling)
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Débat à l’Assemblée nationale – 28 novembre 2014
Proposition de résolution relative à la reconnaissance de l’Etat palestinien
Discours d’Elisabeth Guigou,
Présidente de la Commission des Affaires étrangères
Seul le prononcé fait foi
Debate at the French National Assembly – November 28, 2014
Motion for a resolution concerning the recognition of the State of Palestine
Speech by Elisabeth Guigou
Chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs
The speech delivered shall be the official version
Minister,
Mr President of the National Assembly,
My dear colleagues,
I remember with emotion that one day in September 1993,
Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader and Yitzhak Rabin, the Israeli
Prime Minister, shook hands with each other. “We are”, said Yitzhak
Rabin, “destined to live together on the same soil, in the same land”.
Alas, 20 years on, these archive images are but a memory. The two
protagonists have passed away and along with them has disappeared
the enormous hope for peace which they had engendered.
Then came the assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister in
1995 which dealt the first blow to the peace process, the bloody
attacks on Israeli towns, the failures of Camp David and of Taba, the
second intifada, the construction of the separation wall, the pursuit of
the settlement policy which each day compromises a little more the
very idea of a sovereign Palestinian state, the numerous wars in Gaza
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and finally the new cycle of violence which began again this summer
and which carries on under our very eyes: the Oslo process continues
to die and the main victims are the innocent civilians. This tragedy has
repercussions in the entire region and also in Europe. The permanent
nature of this conflict produces, here too, the worst forms of confusion
and partisan interpretations, which I, for one, cannot accept in our land
of tolerance and fraternity. This must come to an end. The terrifying
cycle of violence and vengeance must stop.
I hear it said that this motion for a resolution would be untimely
on account of its being premature. On the contrary, I believe that for
those who weep for the victims of this conflict, it indeed comes too
late. If we stand idly by, we leave the path wide open to the extremists
who flourish through the continuation of the war. With the failure of
the peace process, indifference is the guilty party and inaction is
lethal. Yet, the solution is known: the mutual recognition by the two
states, living side by side in peace and security, has been the object,
since 1993, of an agreement between the two parties and the entire
international community. How is it possible that such a general
consensus does not reach a successful outcome? What do those who
refuse our contribution actually propose, apart from a deadly
status
quo?
Our resolution is a message of peace and of friendship
addressed to both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. We wish to
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contribute to the resumption of peace talks because, I truly believe,
like Shimon Peres that the “management of the conflict”, which is
supported by some, only leads to an escalation of the violence. As a
European, I know that peace can only be obtained by following the
long and difficult road of negotiation. This resolution is thus born of a
collective desire, which I know is shared on all the benches of this
Assembly, to contribute, in our own modest way, to the international
effort for peace in the Near East.
Clearly only the peoples involved in the conflict can make
peace. I know that such is their desire as this war has exhausted them
and encouraged extremists. I know to what extent this is difficult and
how much intelligence and courage is required. Our country has the
duty to make its voice heard, i.e. the voice of steadfast refusal of the
words of hatred. France, on account of its history, of its values, of its
friendship with the peoples of the Near East but also on account of its
status as a permanent member of the Security Council, is a guardian of
peace and stability in the region. Our country was one of the first and
most fervent defenders of the entry of Israel into the community of
nations. France has done all in its power to ensure the universal
acceptance of the right of Israel to exist and to do so in security.
Mutual recognition between Israel and Palestine and recognition by
the entire international community of the right to peace and security
for both these states, is the best guarantee of a lasting peace. The aim
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of our initiative is to contribute to a movement for peace and to
support the efforts of French diplomacy in this direction. I throw my
weight behind the plan for an international conference which was put
forward by Minister Laurent Fabius and confirmed by the President of
the Republic yesterday. I am convinced that such an international
conference could accompany the negotiations between the two parties
and I hope to convince the Arab states which have not yet done so, to
recognize the state of Israel. Peace requires such vital reciprocal
recognition.
It is thus in the name of these principles, defended by all the
presidents of the Fifth Republic that today, we call on the French
Government to take the initiative in the resumption of dialogue and to
recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a viable and sovereign
state.
This resolution is not an injunction: the Government remains
free to make its own choice.
This resolution is an alarm signal so that tomorrow it will not
be too late.
This resolution is a call so that the Israeli people and the
Palestinian people, as President François Mitterrand wished in 1982 in
the Knesset, “each find once more the irreducible right to live”.
Thank you very much.
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