Quotation from Elias Sanbar “The Palestinians, who have agreed to give up part of their land” — Oct. 12 2000

" (...) There will be no peace until the Israelis realize the extent of the sacrifice felt by the Palestinians, who have agreed to give up part of their land in exchange for peace. If the Israelis do not measure this, we will remain in misunderstanding. It is important to know: the Palestinians did not sign this peace because they think that Palestine is not their country. They did it knowing that it is their country and that peace is worth the division of their homeland into two states. ... If we want to resolve the problem, it is imperative to separate the political dimension - the object of negotiation - from the symbolic dimension - which I accept but which is not negotiable. (...) We cannot say to the Palestinians: you must share the esplanade of the Mosques because the Israelis are moved. They will never accept it. Negotiation must at all costs confront the real question: that of the occupation. In 1967, the West Bank, which includes East Jerusalem, was occupied. There are rules of international law, the Geneva Conventions. Resolutions have been adopted by the United Nations. If we want to solve the problem, it is essential to return to these texts. For the rest - access to the holy places [the Wailing Wall], to the Jewish quarter, everything can be discussed.

Translated from French "