"JUST SOLUTION FOR THE PALESTINE PROBLEM," "JUST PEACE," "PEACE ON THE BASIS OF JUSTICE," "NON-ACCEPTANCE OF THE FAIT ACCOMPLI," "SETTLEMENT ACCORDING TO LEGAL RIGHTS," "SOLUTION ACCORDING TO UN PRINCIPLES"The Arabs emphasize that they seek a "just solution" or a "just peace," which constitutes the opposite pole to a peace or solution founded on the status quo, on the fact of Israel's existence. The just solution, according to this view, is the annulment of the wrong involved in the very existence of Israel and the restoration of Israel to its legal owners. Justice is a denial of Israel's existence. Thus Nasser says:
"We talk peace, but we do not accept peace that is based on the usurpation of rights and on the fait accompli. That is why we work for peace, but we want peace based on justice." (Speech at Alexandria University, July 28, 1963).In other words, a just peace, according to this view, means the peace that will reign after the disappearance of Israel.
Joint statements after visits by distinguished personalities and resolutions passed at conferences often include a demand for "a just solution," "a solution according to the UN Charter" or "the principles of the UN," or "a settlement according to natural rights" or "legal rights." The visitor or the delegates to the conference understand this as a "minimal obligation" and it contains no apparent hint that the aim is the destruction of a State. These expressions have quite a different connotation for the Arabs, who are convinced that Israel's existence is an injustice and a violation of the legal rights of the Palestinian Arabs. The National Covenant of the Palestine Liberation Organization refers in the preamble to:
"... the complete restoration of our lost homeland—a right that has been recognized by international covenants and common practices including the Charter of the United Nations ."
The Arabs therefore regard the agreement of foreigners to the formula of "a just solution" as support for their rejection of the "fait accompli" of Israel's existence.
Nasir al-DIn al-Nashashibl, the editor of al-Jumhuriyya, comments in his paper on a statement by Khrushchev, in a speech at Port Said, supporting "a just solution" of the Palestine problem:
"The people of Port Said listened to the speech of the illustrious visitor from the Soviet Union, in which he said that Russia recognizes the necessity for a logical and just solution to the problem of Palestine. The people of Port Said are well aware that a just solution to the problem of Palestine means the restoration of Palestine to the Arabs and the resettlement of all the refugees in their plundered homeland. The just solution is the liquidation of imperialism represented by Israel, which serves it as a base and bridgehead." (al-Jumhuriyya, May 20, 1964)
