The Saudi Plan, as presented by Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia contains three elements: “… withdrawal from all occupied Arab territories, recognition of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and the return of refugees”. Such a plan represents a formula for Israel’s dismemberment, since this would require that Israel relinquish strategic hills that overlook its coastal plain, forfeit its capital city and repatriate 3.6 million Arab refugees (and their descendents) from the 1948 war to 531 Arab villages that have been replaced by Israeli cities, collective farms and woodlands WITHIN Israel’s 1949-1967 cease fire lines.

Beirut – March 28,2002 WAFA (Official Palestine News Agency)
These are excerpts from the final statement issued at the end of the deliberations of the 14th regular session of the Arab summit conference in Beirut, at which the leaders praised the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in face of Israeli occupation and paid respect for the Palestinian martyrs and supported the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people until fulfilling the demands of the right of return, the right of self-determination and the establishment of the Palestinian state with Holy Jerusalem as its capital.

The declaration of Beirut pointed out that the Arab leaders had comprehensively evaluated the changes and challenges, notably that pertaining to the Arab region and the occupied Palestinian territories and the destructive war launched by Israel under the pretext of fighting terrorism, exploiting the tragic incidents of September 11 in the US

The Arab leaders reviewed the peace process and the Israeli practices that aim at undermining the stability of the middle east, and followed up the heroic Palestinian Intifada as well as the Arab initiatives that aim at realizing just and comprehensive peace in the region in the light of the resolutions of the international legitimacy pertaining to the Arab Israeli dispute and the Palestinian problem.

‘Shouldering our national responsibility, and in line with the conventions of the Arab league and the U.N., we would like to announce our determination to go ahead on the path of the Arab solidarity in all spheres, and to work for abortion of foreign plots hatched to undermine our Arab regional safety’, said the declaration, and added ‘we would like to salute the heroic Intifada of the Palestinians and their resistance to Israel’s occupation and its destructive military machinery and repressive measures against them.

The declaration hails the courageous martyrs of Intifada, stressing the strong support for the Palestinian people in all forms and for their legitimate heroic struggle against the occupation to achieve their just demands for the right of return, self determination and the setting up of their state with Alquds as its capital.

It expressed solidarity with Lebanon to complete the liberation of its territories and expressed its support for Lebanon’s development and reconstruction.

It demanded the immediate release of Lebanese detainees in Israeli jails and condemned the repeated Israeli aggression against Lebanon’s sovereignty notably the violation of its airspace and territorial waters, shouldering Israel full responsibility for the serious consequences of its provocations.

The Arab leaders stressed their solidarity with Syria and Lebanon against Israeli aggressive threats that undermine the security and stability in the region, considering any attack on the two countries as an aggression against all Arab countries.

“In light of the setback of the peace process, the leaders stressed their commitment to halt any relations with Israel and to activate the Arab bureau for boycotting Israel so that Israel implements the resolutions of the international legitimacy, Madrid’s peace reference and withdrawal from all Arab occupied territories to the border lines of June, 1967,” the declaration said.

The declaration emphasized that peace in the middle east will not be successful if it is not just and comprehensive in line with security council resolutions numbers 242, 338, 425 and 1397, and the principle of land for peace.

The declaration also emphasized the unity of the Syrian and Lebanese tracks and their organic linkage with the Palestinian track in realization of the Arab goals of solution comprehensiveness.

The Arab leaders asked Israel to reconsider its policy, adhere to peace and announce that just peace is its strategic choice too.

They also demanded that it carry out the following:

  1. Total withdrawal from occupied Arab territories including the Syrian Golan to the lines of the 4th of June 1967 and the territories still occupied in south Lebanon.
  2. Reaching a just solution to the Palestinian refugees problem to be agreed upon in accordance with united nations general assembly resolution number 194.
  3. Acceptance of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state in the Palestinian territories occupied since the 4th of June 1967 in the West Bank and Gaza strip with Alquds as its capital.

Then, the Arab countries will carry out the following:

  1. Consider the Arab Israeli conflict as finished and enter in a peace agreement between them and Israel to achieve peace for all countries in the region.
  2. Establish normal relations with Israel as part of this comprehensive peace.
  3. guarantee the rejection of all Palestinian settlement forms contradicting the special status of some host Arab countries.

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