Resolution on the Middle-East Peace Process

25th Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum
15-19 January 2017

Resolution on the Middle-East Peace Process

APPF25/RES/06

(Sponsored by Japan)

The 25th Annual Meeting of the Asia‐Pacific Parliamentary Forum

Convinced that achieving a final and peaceful settlement of the issue of Palestinian statehood is imperative for the attainment of comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East;

Hoping that the Israelis and the Palestinians will continue their united efforts to realise the two‐state solution whereby the Israelis and the Palestinians live side by side in peace;

Reaffirming that a just and lasting solution to the Arab‐Israeli conflict must be based on such resolutions as the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council Resolutions, previous agreements between Israel and Palestine, and the Resolution on the Middle East Peace Process adopted at the 24th Annual Meeting of the APPF on January 2016;

Expressing support for the Middle East peace process and efforts to reach a final and lasting settlement between the Israeli and the Palestinian sides as soon as possible; and

Recognising that the Middle East continues to face issues such as the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)/Daesh and a large number of refugees and internally displaced persons affected by ISIL/Daesh, and that those issues interrelate with the Middle East Peace Process in terms of securing peace and stability in the region;

RESOLVES TO:

1. Call upon both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides to resume early direct negotiations;

2. Urge both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides to settle the issue through negotiation based on the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, the Madrid Principles, the Roadmap, the agreements previously reached by the parties and the Arab Peace Initiative;

3. Encourage both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides to halt the use of force and to achieve a durable unconditional cessation of violence;

4. Call upon both parties to avoid unilateral actions which prejudice final status issues, including settlement activities in the West Bank;

5. Encourage all parties concerned to make efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Israeli‐Palestinian conflict, reaffirm that establishment of a Palestinian state, as well as security for Israel and its borders are essential factors for permanent peace; and call upon both the Israeli and Palestinian sides to strive to build a proper environment conducive to the establishment of a Palestinian state;

6. Confirm that creating a viable Palestinian economy premised on tangible improvement of living standards is necessary for building a Palestinian state; and therefore call upon the international community including Israel to support the Palestinians and encourage the governments of the APPF Member States to enhance assistance to them;

7. Urge all sides involved in the conflict to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip;

8. Support the various efforts of the international community which contribute to the resumption of dialogue between the Israeli and the Palestinian sides, and call upon the Middle East Quartet (the United States, Russian Federation, European Union and United Nations), other concerned countries and all the APPF Member States to continue to extend as much support and cooperation as possible to the Middle East peace process; and

9. Highlight the importance of providing capacity building in the Palestinian territories.