Proclaiming new hope for the Palestinian-Israeli peace process ahead of elections set for 9 January 2005 to choose a successor to late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, United Nations diplomats today urged Israel and its Arab neighbours to take stock of fresh chances for wider Middle East peace.

As the General Assembly concluded its annual consideration of the question of Palestine, and opened its discussions on the overall situation in the Middle East, speakers described these early days in the post-Arafat era as a prime opportunity for the Palestine people to unite and launch democracy from within, which would be vitally important to future peace efforts. Most hoped that once the election was concluded, Israel would move ahead with its planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.

And while delegations from the Arab world acknowledged the profound implications of the coming ballot, they recognized the need to move quickly -- but not arbitrarily –- keeping the ultimate goals in sight: creation of an independent Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital, and securing the right of return for refugees. Israel was urged to live up to its on-the-ground responsibilities and to refrain from undermining the election in any way and to ensure the freedom of movement of all Palestinians wishing to take part in the historic process.

China’s representative was among those who declared that the Palestinian people would continue to maintain their unity and ensure a successful ballot. And while the global community should provide the necessary assistance, Israel should facilitate the general public to freely participate in the elections and adopt measures to improve the humanitarian situation. Under the current circumstances, it was necessary for both Israelis and Palestinians to exercise utmost restraint, avoid taking any action that might jeopardize the restart of the peace process, and try to do more to enhance mutual trust, he said.

“We sincerely hope that the political leaders of both Israel and Palestine will demonstrate extraordinary courage and farsightedness by seizing this window of opportunity and working vigorously for the early resumption of peace talks”, he said, urging both sides to reiterate their commitment to the Road Map and adopt effective measures to fulfill their respective responsibilities. Now was the time for the international community, especially the diplomatic Quartet –- the United States, the United Nations, the Russian Federation and the European Union -- to be more proactive to accelerate the implementation of the peace plan by both sides.

When the discussions turned to the wider Middle East, the Palestinian Observer said the situation in the region remained a matter of grave concern for the entire international community. “But the core of the problem is, of course, the question of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict”, he said, stressing that looming over the region were decades of “unprecedented injustices” that had been inflicted on an entire people, with no end in sight.

And the problems did not end there, he continued, spotlighting the situation in Iraq and the many crises on the region’s periphery, coupled with the failures to ensure democratisation and social and economic modernization. The Middle East was also being threatened by “dangerous ideological visions” and policies promoted by powers outside of, but involved in, the affairs of the region, which encouraged such “nonsense” as the existence of a cultural divide between the Arab world and the West, and the notion that terrorism was a product of Islamic extremism and that the only means of eliminating it was by force.

Another “dangerous concept” was that there could only be a negotiated solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, he said. While there was nothing wrong with negotiation on its face, the apparent aim in this case was to negotiate away relevant provisions of international law and to neutralize the United Nations, particularly the Security Council. “All of this is nonsense”, he said, “and we must revert to basics –- adherence to international law and engagement by the international community and its institutions in defining, in a clear and binding manner, the broad parameters of the settlement if we want to resolve the question of Palestine and achieve peace in the region.”

Israel’s representative stressed that peace in the region would not be fashioned in New York and Geneva, but in Ramallah and Jerusalem. Israel recognized that it had obligations to fulfill, but it was not alone in that regard. Every peace initiative that had succeeded, had done so only when the rights and responsibilities of all sides had been recognized. Thus, while Israel had been compelled to advance the disengagement plan in the absence of a partner for peace, it continued to hope that the plan could be coordinated and serve to jumpstart the Quartet’s Road Map.

The Middle East had once been a global centre of progress and source of wisdom, he acknowledged, but the peoples of the region had suffered dictatorial rule too long. Democratic reform, tolerance, coexistence and respect for human rights constituted the fundamental building blocks for peace, stability and prosperity in the region. Governments that glorified murder as martyrdom could not at the same time foster peace and good-neighbourliness; only by encouraging a culture of democracy and mutual tolerance would the seeds of peace be sown. There must be a rejection of the tactics of terrorism and the ideology of hate.

As the Assembly considered the situation in the Middle East, the voices of the region’s moderates –- individuals who looked for democracy and respect for human rights, as well as peace -- must be heard, he added. Holding that it was in dialogue that hope was born and progress achieved, Israel had always recognized the needs of its neighbours to live in peace and prosperity and had reached out to all those genuinely committed to peace.

In other business today, the Assembly, on the recommendation of its General Committee, added to its agenda a sub-item on providing development assistance to poor mountain countries and allocated it to the Second Committee (Economic and Financial).

Also, the representative of Egypt, on behalf of the Arab Group, introduced two draft resolutions, respectively on Jerusalem (document A/59/L.39), and on the Syrian Golan (document A/59/L.40).

Also addressing the Assembly today were the representatives of Japan, Tunisia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Bangladesh, Namibia, Oman, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Cuba, Norway, Iran, Vietnam, Guinea, Indonesia, India, Venezuela, Libya, Canada, Bahrain, Netherlands (on behalf of the European Union and associated States), Jordan, Syria, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Switzerland, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Russian Federation, Cuba, Australia, Ukraine, Argentina, Kuwait and Burkina Faso.

The representative of the Inter-Parliamentary Union also spoke.

Speaking in exercise of the right of reply was the representative of Iran.

The Assembly will reconvene tomorrow, 1 December, at 10 a.m. to conclude its consideration of matters related to the situation in the Middle East, and to act on a number of draft resolutions.

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