THE AMENDMENT OF THE PALESTINIAN COVENANT
LETTER FROM PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT
TO PRIME MINISTER SHIMON PERES
May 4, 1996
Mr. Shimon Peres
Prime Minister of Israel
Dear Mr. Peres,
I convey my best wishes to your excellency, and I would like to convey to
you the recent historic resolution adopted by the Palestinian National
Council at its 21st session held in Gaza city.
As part of our commitment to the peace process, and in adhering to the
mutual recognition between the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the
Government of Israel, the P.N.C. was held in Gaza city between 22-25 of
April 1996, and in an extraordinary session decided that the Palestine
National Charter is hereby amended by cancelling the provisions that are
contrary to the letters exchanged between the P.L.O. and the government of
Israel on 9/10 Sept. 1993.
Please find enclosed copies of the official Arabic and English texts of
the P.N.C.'s resolutions.
We remain committed to the peace process.
Gaza: 4/5/1996
Yasser Arafat
Chairman of the Executive Committee of
Palestine Liberation Organization
President of the Palestinian National Authority
OFFICIAL TRANSLATION
The Palestinian National Council, at its 21st session held in the city of
Gaza,
Emanating from the declaration of independence and the political statement
adopted at its 19th session held in Algiers on Nov. 15, 1988, which
affirmed the resolution of conflicts by peaceful means and accepted the
two states solution,
And based on the introduction of the Declaration of Principles signed in
Washington D.C. on 13 September 1993, which included the agreement of both
sides to put an end to decades of confrontation and conflict and to live
in peaceful coexistence, mutual dignity and security, while recognizing
their mutual legitimate and political right,
And reaffirming their desire to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive
peace settlement and historic reconciliation through the agreed political
process,
And based on international legitimacy represented by the United Nations
Resolutions relevant to the Palestinian question, including those relating
to Jerusalem, Refugees and Settlements, and the other issues of the
permanent status and the implementation of Security Council Resolutions
242 and 338,
And affirming the adherence of the Palestine Liberation Organization to
its commitments deriving from the D.O.P. (Oslo 1), the provisional Cairo
Agreement, the letter of mutual recognition signed on 9 and 10 September
1993, the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the
Gaza Strip (Oslo 2) signed in Washington D.C. on 28 September 1995, and
reconfirm the resolution of the central Council of the P.L.O. adopted in
October 1993, which approved the Oslo Agreement and all its annexes,
And based on the principles which constituted the foundation of the Madrid
Peace Conference and the Washington negotiations, decides:
1. The Palestinian National Charter is hereby amended by canceling the
articles that are contrary to the letters exchanged between the P.L.O.
and the Government of Israel 9-10 September 1993.
2. Assigns its legal committee with the task of redrafting the Palestinian
National Charter in order to present it to the first session of the
Palestinian central council.