The Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union concluded its 85th conference in Pyongyang, North Korea, with a resolution unequivocally endorsing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on territory evacuated by Israel.
The resolution, passed Saturday, urges Israel to withdraw unconditionally from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and southern Lebanon. It also calls on Israel to stop building settlements in the territories and to dismantle existing ones.
An Israeli delegation participated in the resolution drafting committee but apparently was unable to modify the anti-Israel language of the resolution. Also serving on the committee were delegates from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Egypt and Algeria.
Members of the Israeli delegation, which was headed by Knesset member Yehoshua Matza of Likud, included Haim Corfu, also of Likud, and Raanan Cohen and Edna Solodar, both of Labor.
They traveled to North Korea after a historic trip to China, where they were guests of Israel’s Academic Liaison Office, the only presence Israel has in Beijing.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union, which meets semiannually, was founded in 1889 to promote personal contacts among members of the world’s parliaments, with a view to the establishment and development of representative institutions and advancing international peace and cooperation.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
