Prime Minister Salam Fayyad granted Jimmy Carter, a former United States President, the Palestine International Award for Excellence and Creativity for the category of internationally distinguished figure of 2009 in the presence of Mr. Sabih Al-Masri, the Chairman of the Award, and Dr. Abdel Malek Al-Jaber, Secretary General of the Award, during a ceremony held in the honor of the guests at the hall of Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Al-Bireh.
The ceremony was attended by a number of ministers, officials and corporate bodies, including Dr. Rafiq Husseini- Chairman of Presidency Office, Dr. Saeb Erekat- Head of PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, representatives of the consulates in Palestine, as well as a number of Palestinian journalists and others .
The celebration started with the presentation of a short film on Palestine International Award for Excellence and Creativity, followed by a speech delivered by the Chairman of the Award Mr. Sabih Al-Masri. “I wanted this Award to reflect my concern with unleashing the potential latent within the children and segments of the Palestinian people”, Al-Masri said. “Also, I wanted it to be a means to change the stereotypical image of the Palestinian people, showing their genuine reality; the civilized character they deserve,” he added.
“Today marks many implications that entail sympathy by anyone who fully understand and comprehend them”, Dr. Fayyad said. “The President Jimmy Carter is a man who deserves all the respect and honor as he well knows the Palestinian cause and its history. I extend my thanks to Carter for what he said to all of us, which affirms his humane mission which we celebrate today,” he added. We welcome him today and he will be welcomed at all times, especially when we have a state called Palestine that shares this region and community and achieve a qualitative transition”, he stated. Dr. Fayyad expressed his thanks to the Palestine International Award for Excellence and Creativity.
Although I have received a lot of awards, I did not feel as happy as I am today. I hope to address you at your permanent capital, Jerusalem, in the future,” President Carter said. “Bringing together the Palestinian factions is not a mission of the United States, the United Nations or Europe. It rather depends on the Palestinians themselves. Being in Palestine, I consider myself at home. My wife, sons, grandsons and I have always loved Palestine, He added.” “However, US President Barack Obama called for freezing the construction and expansion of settlements, and he must call in a later stage for the dismantlement of such settlements” he stated.
Carter also stressed that after his meeting with officials from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he will go to Gaza Strip in an attempt to bringing together the Palestinian people.
On his part, Dr. Saeb Erekat, Head of PLO Negotiations Affairs Department, stated that the democratic Palestinian state is inevitably coming, emphasizing that the Palestinian people really need democracy rather than religious or individual ruling. He added that the integrity, transparency and women rights are among the most significant elements for the survival of the Palestinian people. “I ask you Mr. President to tell Hamas that war does not lead to democracy,” he added addressing President Carter. He stressed that peace will not prevail without having justice, democracy and an end to the occupation.
We have chosen to honor a former president of the United States at the headquarters of the PRCS, an organization that witnessed the conditions of displacement and suffering of the Palestinian people over decades,” Secretary General of the Award Dr. Abdel Malek Al-Jaber said. “As many kind people shared these pains, the PRCS also contributed to heal the wounds of thousands of children, women and men over these painful decades. “We chose him because he is Jimmy Carter who violated all provisions and followed his conscience and high principles only. He was one of the pioneers claiming the right of humans to live with dignity, facing constraints and hardships for the sake of what he believes in. President Carter was neither a man of the moment nor a man of election campaigns or even political games.  He is a man of stands who persistently seek to achieve his aspirations. We, as nations deserving life, dignity and hope, support him.
Unlike other US leaders, Carter visited us dozens of times to support the newborn democratic process in nascent Palestine in the years 1996, 2005 and 2006. Recently, he has visited us in an attempt to bridge the gap among brothers in this country.