The Council of the Socialist International, meeting in United Nations, New York, on 6 - 7 July 2015, held discussions on the theme of international peace and security and reflected on the prospects for peace in the Middle East,
- Recalling its previous declarations of the SI, in particular the SI Council in New York in June 2010, the SI Middle East Committee (SIMEC) in June 2011 and the SI Council in Istanbul in November 2013 and SI council on December 2014;
- Reflecting representations made by the Palestinian and Israeli member parties of the Socialist International, the Council:
- Reaffirms the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine on the June 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and reaffirms its commitment, in accordance with international law, to bringing an end to the Israeli occupation that started in 1967 in order to achieve the two- state solution, as two sovereign and democratic states for all their citizens and a just solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees on the basis of the UN resolution 194;
- Expresses its support for the diplomatic initiatives in support of this right and calls for the international community to take urgent action to meet its political, legal and moral responsibility in this regard;
- After more than 22 years of failing to achieve peace through the bilateral peace process, we believe that the time has come for the international community to (collectively) meet its responsibility under international law to bring an end to the occupation and all impediments to the exercise by the Palestinian people of their right to self-determination;
- Recalling our 2011 Athens Council declaration on the Middle East, whereby we called for the recognition of the State of Palestine if negotiations failed, the SI members reaffirm their commitment to:
- Support the immediate unconditional recognition of the State of Palestine on the 1967 border with East Jerusalem as its capital. Self-determination in an independent Palestine on the 1967 border is a recognized legal right of the Palestinian people. In case that a SI member is a member of her national government, it will be the SI member’s duty to ensure the recognition of the State of Palestine;
- To support a greater international role through an international conference that will include various international actors from different regions in order to push for a just and lasting peace based on international law for Israel and Palestine, including ending the occupation that began in 1967;
- To support a total end of all settlement activities including in East Jerusalem, the destruction of homes and the deportation of Palestinians;
- Encourage the non-violent approach at all levels and by all parties and to demand the immediate cessation of all forms of violence by the Israeli army and settlers against the Palestinian non-violent
- resistance and the end of all Israeli settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories including Jerusalem;
- Demand the immediate release of all the Palestinian prisoners imprisoned by the Israel especially the elected members of the Palestinian legislative council, minors and administrative detainees;
- Strongly condemn the illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Military Forces, and call the Israeli Government to lift immediately the siege on the Gaza Strip and free the movement of the people and products between Gaza Strip and West Bank including East Jerusalem.
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