Palestinian President Yasser Arafat declared in a speech Monday that a Palestinian state will be established in the year 2002. Arafat spoke in a speech commemorating the anniversary of the founding of Fatah thirty-six years ago.
Arafat stated that "The Palestinian state, with holy Jerusalem as its capital, is not only a condition for peace, but a fundamental basis for international and regional security and stability", according to the Palestine News Agency,
Arafat also said that a Palestinian state should be established on land captured by Israel in the 1967 war. He added that the Palestinian people were currently more determined than ever to reach their goal of a Palestinian State.
Arafat stated that a state for the Palestinian people was fundamental to regional and international stability and security. He added that “Some in Israel still do not want to see this fact and they see in the tank, the helicopter and the bulldozer the only ways to deal with the Palestinian people'.
Arafat strengthened his claims by adding that the Palestinians will pursue their hope of “raising a Palestinian flag over the walls, the churches and mosques of Jerusalem, capital of our Independent Palestine”.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s speech was broadcast on Palestinian national television. (www.albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
