Security

Summary

The PLO recognizes that security is of paramount importance to the Israeli people.  Security, after all, is a concern shared by the Palestinian people, who have sought for more than fifty years to live in a secure and prosperous state of their own. 

After the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994, the Palestinian Authority made a concerted effort to promote security. Despite the irony of an occupied people providing security to the occupier, the Palestinian Authority’s efforts produced concrete results.  In a 1999 testimony before the United States Congress, Martin Indyk, then U.S.

Assistant Secretary of State, praised “important progress” in the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to preventing political violence.  Palestinian actions in cooperation with Israeli security forces, Indyk said, are “beginning to pay real dividends in terms of improving the security of the Israeli people.” Even former Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu telephone President Arafat to acknowledge Palestinian security successes and former Israeli Defense Minister Arens spoke publicly in positive terms about Palestinian security efforts.

The Palestinian Authority was able to provide Israel with its most secure period in the history of Israel’s occupation. According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, from September 5, 1997 until the outbreak more than three years later of the current Palestinian uprising against occupation, not a single Israeli civilian was killed inside Israel by an act of terrorism.

However, there is no such thing as a peaceful military occupation. Israel must understand the link between its lack of security and the Palestinian lack of freedom.  While Palestinian Authority security efforts have shown positive results, on-going lack of security is simply a symptom.  Without addressing the underlying disease of Israeli military occupation and the denial of Palestinian freedom, the symptom will always return.   

The Palestinian Position on Security

In permanent status negotiations with Israel, the PLO seeks to structure security relations between the states of Palestine and Israel in ways that will:

• Provide effective responses to specific threats.

  Each of Palestine and Israel would be a state of law and order and would deal effectively and promptly with any threat, internally and externally, which would undermine the state, its population and/or neighboring states.

   

• Create mechanisms for ongoing cooperation.

  Palestine and Israel shall cooperate on security matters including the sharing of security related information.

   

• Respect international human rights.

  Palestine and Israel will (i) respect the rights of individuals as set forth in universal declarations and (ii) uphold international human rights charters.

   

• Promote regional and international peace and security.

  Palestine shall develop relations with all its bordering states in order to promote peace, security and stability in the region and internationally.

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