People wave Israeli and PA flags
People wave Israeli and PA flagsFlash 90

A group of unaligned nations has taken a stance in favor of the, Arab Palestinian's right to a state, and called to renew negotiations on the basis of the French initiative.

The French initiative was presented earlier this year, and has been heavily criticized both in and outside of Israel. The initiative was notable in that neither Israel, nor Arab Palestinian representatives were invited to discuss its particulars.

The 17th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement which convened in Venezuela on September 18, has declared 2017 "the last year of Israel's ‘Occupation of Palestine’." There are 116 nations in the movement; founded to counter American and Russian political pressures and preserve the members’ respective independence.

During the Cold War these countries were known as the, “Third World.” The “First World,” referred to the NATO and SEATO signatories and the, “Second World” to Russian satellite states. Since the end of the Cold War, the relevance of the movement has been waning, and the term “Third World” now refers to the undeveloped nations who form the bulk of the Non-Aligned Movement.

The official notification, which was read by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu Ziad, expressed the summit committee's full support for the right of the, Arab Palestinian nation to establish its own independent state, using the pre-1967 lines as its borders, and with east Jerusalem as its capital.

The committee censured Israel's, "violations of Palestinian rights," and the "illegal and inciting" activities in Judea and Samaria, "especially regarding the Dome of the Rock." It also criticized other, "illegal" activities which it claims are intended to undermine the two-state solution and to change the demographic facts on the ground.

On the political front, the summit's committee affirmed its readiness to provide assistance in renewing negotiations between Israel and the PA; especially on the basis of the French or Arab initiatives.

The Arab Peace Initiative presented by the 2002 Arab League Summit, was ostensibly expected to lead to full normalization of relations between its 22-member bloc and Israel. It was, however, conditioned on a "just settlement" for millions of so-called "refugees" whose great grandparents left the Jewish State and the relinquishing of Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem.