JERUSALEM – November 16, 2005 – MIFTAH welcomes the agreement arrived at yesterday between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority on the opening of Gaza’s borders for the first time in decades.

MIFTAH further welcomes the instrumental role played during the negotiations by US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Special Envoy to the Quartet, Mr. James Wolfensohn, and calls on continued international participation and involvement to bring to a conclusive end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem.

MIFTAH however reminds all involved parties that despite the significant progress made yesterday, several crucial issues remain unresolved. With regard to the ongoing process of disengagement in Gaza, the airport at Gaza must be re-opened; the seaport must be re-built, and the Palestinians must be assured full sovereignty over their borders and full control over internal movement of goods and people. Moreover, MIFTAH reminds all parties that the critical issues relating to freedom of movement and goods in the West Bank remain unresolved.

While MIFTAH welcomes the end of the siege on Gaza, which has continued unabated through almost four decades of foreign occupation, we look forward to a more comprehensive bilateral process of dialogue and negotiation that attempts to resolve the larger final status issues that remain unresolved.

The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, MIFTAH, is a non-governmental, non-partisan Jerusalem-based institution dedicated to fostering democracy and good governance within Palestinian society through promoting public accountability, transparency, the free flow of information and ideas and the challenging of stereotyping at home and abroad.

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