The New and Independent Palestinian State

Declaration of the state in 1988

A declaration of a "State of Palestine" took place in Algiers on November 15, 1988, by the Palestinian National Council, the legislative body of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). The proclaimed "State of Palestine" is not and has never actually been an independent state, as it has never had sovereignty over any territory in history.

Currently, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), along with the United States, the European Union, and the Arab League, envision the establishment of a State of Palestine to include all or part of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, living in peace with Israel under a democratically elected and transparent government. The PNA, however, does not claim sovereignty over any territory and therefore is not the government of the "State of Palestine" proclaimed in 1988.

The current position of the Palestinian Authority is that all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip should form the basis of a future Palestinian state. Since 1993 the PLO has been negotiating with Israel and signed the Oslo Accord in order to establish an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza; but unfortunately Israel hs been avoiding to implement these agreements and keept confiscating Palestinian land to build more israeli settlements. The Palestinians are decided to go to the United Nation to clim their right of having their indipendent state on the land that belongs to them. We pray for the success of this peaceful move and we hope the all the nation members support this right to make justice for the Palestinian people who have been suffering for decades.

Israel bans Pro-Palestine Protests

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israel refused entry to 69 people considered to be pro-Palestinian activists on Friday, with officials saying that most would be repatriated on the first available flights.

Immigration spokeswoman Sabine Hadad said that four people had already flown out of Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, and the remainder were in custody waiting to travel.

"They are from Spain, the Netherlands, many from France, Bulgaria, the United States, Germany," she told AFP. "Legally they have been refused entry, they are not in Israel."

Shortly after 9:00 pm [1800 GMT] prisons service spokeswoman Sivan Weizman told AFP that 34 of the 69 had been moved to a nearby prison pending deportation and the rest were still at the airport.

Hadad said that during Friday 310 people were questioned on suspicion of taking part in the "Welcome to Palestine" campaign, which some have called the "flytilla," in which up to 800 activists were to fly in on a peaceful mission to visit Palestinian families.

"Sixty-nine were refused entry, all the rest entered," Hadad said.

But Israeli authorities said they largely managed to preempt the campaign by foreign activists, most from France, who are demonstrating for the right of access to the West Bank.

Officials said that by notifying foreign airlines of ticket-holders who would not be admitted to Israel they prevented hundreds from boarding at their ports of departure.

Israeli police at Ben Gurion airport had deported two American women Friday morning, as airlines across Europe barred 300 passengers on an Israeli blacklist from flying, prompting demonstrations in Paris and Geneva airports.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said six Israelis had been arrested in the arrivals hall at Ben Gurion, which is open to the public.

Barred passengers were camped out in the Paris airport, and French authorities were holding three in detention, a French activist told Ma'an.

Activists told Ma'an that "at least 40" people had successfully boarded planes in Europe to participate in a week of activities in the West Bank, including theater trips and tree-planting.

Israel's main airport was swarmed by police Thursday night, as well as an Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs delegation set to welcome "real tourists" with flowers.

"Israel has given airlines a list of 342 unwanted people, warning them that they will be immediately turned back at the expense of the companies," Israeli immigration spokeswoman Sabine Hadad told AFP.

A French activist with the 'EuroPalestine' group told Ma'an that Mohammad Al-Amir, Petseyana Leddis and Adrian Rue, who were planning to travel to Ben Gurion airport, had been detained in Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport.

"Israel is dictating laws to France by barring its people from traveling," she said.

She added that the group of 300 activists are waiting "paralyzed" at the airport having being blocked from travel. "We are a very peaceful movement," she insisted.

At Roissy airport in France, at least nine activists were prevented from boarding a flight of Hungarian carrier Malev to Tel Aviv via Budapest.

Some 50 airline passengers describing themselves as "pro-Palestinian" were prevented from boarding a flight to Israel from Geneva airport on Friday, officials said, prompting flight delays.

In a statement, the organizers of the "flytilla" campaign condemned the Israeli pressure on airlines and threatened legal action.

"We call on all airline companies not to accept such provocative, blackmailing, and illegal actions by the Israeli government," it said.

"Visitors traveling between countries have rights under international law and bilateral travel agreements," it added. "Those who had reservations cancelled will exercise their right of protest including bringing legal cases in their own countries."

Flytilla to Save Palestine

LOD, Israel (AFP) -- Squads of Israeli police were deployed at Tel Aviv airport on Wednesday, anticipating the arrival of hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists, a police spokesman said.

"There are a hundred police from different units who are on standby and will make sure there won't be any incidents at the airport," Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.

"They're on standby to deal with the possibility of activists and extremists arriving from overseas."

Pro-Palestinian activists from the "Welcome to Palestine" campaign have said they plan to arrive in their hundreds at Ben Gurion airport on Friday to protest against Israeli restrictions on the Palestinians' freedom of movement, and that of their international supporters.

"Nearly 600 women, men and children, among whom more than 350 French citizens, will fly to the West Bank next Friday, July 8, in answer to a call from 15 West Bank Palestinian civil society organizations," the group said on its website.

"The aim is to show that, if our governments do not seem to be interested in the fate of these people who have been under occupation for far too long, there are men and women from all countries, who are ready to bring them moral support, using a week of their holidays to go and meet them."

Israeli public radio said the authorities suspected that advance groups could arrive as early as Wednesday and its reporter at the airport said he had seen large numbers of police there, including members of the anti-terrorist squad.

"It's an unusual sight to see so many police from so many different units at Ben Gurion airport," he said.

"They are spread out in positions from the runway to the baggage retrieval area, and in the arrivals area at Terminal 3, there are dozens of uniformed police."

An AFP correspondent at the scene saw only a handful of border police, and the police spokesman described the report as exaggerated.

"Police are in the airport but not in the large numbers referred to," he said.

Ahead of his morning departure for Romania, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was briefed at the airport by the internal security minister and the national police chief on preparations for the protest.

"I have ordered our forces to enforce international law," the radio quoted him as saying. "Every state has the right to protect itself from those seeking to disturb order in its territory."

Earlier this week, media reports suggested that all flights arriving from Europe on Friday would be directed to a separate terminal and their passengers carefully screened.

As well as a large number of French nationals, there will also be activists from Britain, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the United States, organizers say.