The Muslim News

BEIRUT, Lebanon, (The Daily Star): After months of diplomatic efforts, more than 40 countries gathered Tuesday for a peace summit in the American city of Annapolis, Maryland. The first gathering of its kind in seven years to address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was heralded with optimism by US President George W. Bush and other leaders.

Residents of Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon do not share this view, however, as The Daily Star confirmed during a visit to the Burj al-Barajneh camp on the outskirts of Beirut. Interviews with numerous camp inhabitants found frustration and irritation with the peace process and the plight of the Palestinian people.

Edward Kattoura expressed hope that Annapolis could produce concrete results but he added that realistically, any development on the right of return was highly improbable.

"I'm not expecting huge change," he said. "It is still perhaps too early for them to reach any worthy agreement on, or implementation of, [United Nations] Resolution 194 because this conference is based around Bush's view and this view means nothing for the Palestinians."

Kattoura said the goal of the Palestinians was to have their own state and "return to the homeland." In the short term, he added, the priority should be to "regain unity between fighting factions," a reference to the rivalry between Hamas and Fatah.

Badih al-Habet argued that the conference was "dangerous" for the Palestinians because "the whole agenda is controlled by Bush and the Zionists."

Echoing the words of many refugees interviewed, he said that "all we want is to return to our country and live in peace" - but in his opinion, Annapolis is not the right avenue.

The issue of Occupied Jerusalem was of deep importance to Salah al-Habet, who insisted that this was at the center of the matter.

"We refuse any agreement," he told The Daily Star, that does not include our right of return and our state with its capital being Jerusalem."

He was confident, though, that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would act in the interests of his people.

"Abu Mazen is our leader," he said, using Abbas' colloquial name, "and he understands our needs."

Habet added that the international community, particularly the Europeans, ought to be doing everything in their power to provide "basic human rights" for the Palestinians.

Mohammad Abu Hassan was roundly dismissive of the Annapolis summit.

"I have no expectations from this conference," he said. "How can a one-day conference bring us back our land and our rights?"

"Look at how we live in this camp," he added.

"Is this evidence of rights for the Palestinian people?" Abu Hassan asked, adding that Palestinians were a community "like no other in the world ... We can't work, our land is gone, we are poor and there is no way Annapolis will provide us with any hope for the right of return."

A more optimistic take on the event was provided by Ahmed Obeid, who invited this reporter into his home to discuss the issue.

"Abu Mazen will represent us and be responsible for our needs, so perhaps we can hope for a generally positive outcome," he said, even though "Israel doesn't want to work for peace" and Annapolis, in his view, is nothing like the Madrid or Oslo processes.

"This conference is different and less specific than what happened at Madrid and Oslo," he said. "The situation is even worse. I cannot foresee any important change, short-term or medium-term. However, perhaps in the distant future we can hope for a solution."

Jihad Abdel Haleem also invited The Daily Star into her home at the camp. Between sips of strong coffee, she said she believed the conference was a good idea because "anytime our plight can be discussed it is a good thing" but held out little hope for a positive outcome on the right of return.

"We will not return," she predicted. "Of course we wish we could, but now it is impossible. We're settled here now whether we like it or not. The lives of the Palestinian people are not going to improve any time soon."

Local butcher Abu Ghassan was scornful of the summit.

"This is not a conference," he said. "This is an idea created by George Bush, the dictator of the world, in order to further the strategic interests of Israel."

"What usually comes out of these meetings? No improved basic rights for the Palestinians and no progress on the right of return," he added. "All this is an idea for the Bush administration to achieve something while it is stuck in the quagmires of Iraq and Afghanistan and it will achieve nothing at all."

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=87070

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