Hebron Mayor Khaled Osaily called today on a number of Belgian Senators (Socialist Party) to use their influence to urge the Belgian Government to vote for the Palestinian State when the matter is brought before the UN this September and to support the Palestinian leadership’s bid to be accepted as a full-fledged member state of the UN, thus becoming the 194th State to join the organization.

Osaily was speaking at a meeting held on 6 September at Hebron Municipality and attended by members of the city’s Municipal Council. The Belgian delegation’s visit aimed at getting the Senators better acquainted with conditions in Hebron as well as at visiting a school built in the city with Belgian funds.

At the beginning of the meeting, Osaily expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Belgian Senate for having endorsed in mid-July a draft decision calling on the Belgian Government to recognize the Palestinian State based on the 1967 borders. This decision, which was unanimously adopted by the Senate, was the fruit of a motion presented by the Socialist Group. Osaily also thanked the Belgian Government for having upgraded the status of the Diplomatic Representation of Palestine in Brussels.

Osaily explained that Palestinian demands can be summed up as follows: to live in freedom and dignity in their homeland like all other peoples in the world, to enjoy all legitimate rights enshrined in international laws and legislations as well as by UN organs, to build a sovereign Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital, to enjoy the right of return and self-determination and to put an end to the last occupation on earth which continues to oppress Palestinians and to deny them their land.

Concerning conditions in Hebron, Osaily spoke about the great suffering of Old City residents and visitors due to the closure by Israel of a number of main arteries linking the North of the city to its South, as well as the closure of roads leading to Al Ibrahimi Mosque and the Old City, not to mention other measures imposed by Israel to restrict the freedom of movement and trade under the pretext of protecting a handful of settlers who occupy Palestinian homes inside the Old City. “The Israeli settlement policy is eating up Palestinian land. In the end, not enough land will be left to build a viable and prosperous Palestinian State. All those who call for human justice and who support the liberation struggle of nations must back Palestinian demands”, he added.

Osaily also spoke in detail about the economic situation in Hebron and how the city produces around 37% of the Palestinian domestic product. This, he said, has a great impact on the Palestinian economy in general and indicates how this economy would develop and advance once stability prevails and once Palestinians have their own State and control their borders.

Furthermore, Osaily touched on projects implemented in Hebron including the newly built cultural and sports facilities which reflect the capacity of Palestinians to be creative and distinctive as well as to improve their conditions if given the occasion to do so.

Senator Marie Arena (Socialist Party) said: “We have come to Hebron today to get better acquainted with the life of its inhabitants and with living conditions in the city as well as in an attempt to understand the situation on the ground. We shall also visit the new school built thanks to Belgian funds with a view to improving educational conditions in the Palestinian Territories. We support Palestinian efforts aimed at obtaining full representation at the UN which is a right that Palestinians must enjoy. Two months ago,  we supported this initiative through a draft decision that we presented to the Belgian Senate and which was endorsed. Moreover, we have played a role in upgrading the status of the Palestinian diplomatic representation in Brussels”, she added.

At the end of the meeting, Osaily offered his guests traditional gifts made in Hebron in recognition of their solidarity with Palestinians, their support of Palestinian legitimate rights and of attempts by the Palestinian leadership to obtain full membership of the UN this September.