His decease is occurring at a dramatic moment  for his people whose right to life and to a homeland is yet  far to be achieved. The Israeli occupation, the systematic  violation of peace agreements, the attempt to delegitimate  the Palestine Authority (PA), by shutting Palestinians in  a sort of bantustans with no territorial continuity,  the nasty building of a shame wall today add to the deep  sorrow of a whole people for their President’s death.  We share their sorrow as we are convinced that with Arafat’s  death a symbol of dignity has disappeared, a constant fighter, but also a great man of peace, tirelessly searching for a  peaceful solution of the ongoing conflict through negotiations.

For decades the international community has given up applying the innumerable UN resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and  has so proved that there is a diplomacy based on different yardsticks,  which is unacceptable. An identifying trait of the whole Palestinian  case is that the powerful have been blind - which the strength of  Arafat’s figure tried to oppose through dialogue and negotiations.

Since when Europe gave up playing an active role in the Middle East everything has become more complicated. The most educated and secular  Arab people was handed over to America’s false mediation and this also isolated the broad - even though articulated - Israeli  peace movement. Instead of peace bridges, new walls have been built;  instead of withdrawing occupying troops, settlements have been spreading  with no end.

We hope that Arafat’s death can shake the conscience of diplomacy,  and that the idea of “two states for two peoples” can re-inspire  a new political action and a renewed peace will. Arafat was definitely  sure about the coming of an independent Palestinian state, but he could  not live so long as to see it established. He has now assigned this  task to the Palestinian people and international community. This is  our wish by which we express our solidarity to the Palestinian Authority  (PA) and PLO, Mr Rawhi Fattuh and Abu Mazen, now in charge of a delicate  transition, and able - as we hope - to strengthen the Palestinian people’s  unity in their struggle for self-determination and peace.

The European Left Party (EL) will engage itself as ever for peace  and the Palestinian cause.