The Contribution of Women to Peace and Reconciliation

known Ten Point Programme. In 1978, the Palestinian National Council
called for coexistence between the Palestinians and the Jews, together
in one democratic state. The Palestinians agreed on the establishment of
a Palestinian Authority on the West Bank and Gaza Strip only if Israel fully
withdrew from these areas. In 1993, the PLO signed the Agreement of
Principals known as the “Oslo Accord”, under which the PLO recognized
the right of Israel to exist, and Israel recognized the PLO as the legitimate
representative of the Palestinian people. The most important political development
was in 1998, when the Palestinian National Council voted by
a majority of 82% for the Palestinian Peace Initiative, which accepted
UNSCR 242 as the point of reference for a political settlement that would
lead to the establishment of an independent Palestine on 22% of historic
Palestine, side by side with Israel on 78% of historic Palestine. On the
other side, in spite of all these political developments, Israel continued its
aggression, clinging to the occupation, confiscating Palestinian private and
public lands, continuing colonial settlements building, imposing closures,
destruction, arrests, restriction of movements and killings, all to prevent
the Palestinian people from practicing their right to self-determination.
In the pursuit of peace, the forces calling for a renunciation of violence
and a condemnation of terrorism prevailed in Palestinian society. These
are the forces which urged using negotiations and non-violent resistance
as methods to push Israel to withdraw from the occupied land and accept
international law as the point of reference for a final political set -
tlement and an end to the conflict.
Currently, there is a legal Palestinian Authority led by the PLO, which
has the support of two thirds of the people in the occupied Palestinian
territory and in the diaspora. This leadership continues to renounce violence,
and is wedded to the necessity of formulating a political settlement
based on international resolutions and international legitimacy. On
the other hand, there is an intransigent Israeli Authority which is only
persistent in the excessive use of military power, state terrorism, and
encouraging settler terrorism. The continued Israeli aggression is designed
to preserve their annexations, and prevent an acceptable and sustainable
settlement to the conflict. After more than sixty-two years of
dispossession of Palestinian refugees who represent more than half of
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