'Occupation' can't last forever

"I say to Israel, that history does not tell us that the occupation will last forever,"

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Tuesday night during the speech he gave in honor of the prophet Muhammad's birthday.

Mubarak added that "Egypt is continuing its efforts to achieve a lull in violence between Israeli and the Palestinians." He called on Israel to "lift the siege of Gaza, open the border crossings, ease the suffering of the citizens of the Palestinian territories.

"Peace in the area cannot be achieved without an agreement on a just solution for the Palestinian problem," Mubarak added. Addressing Israel, he said: "Security for your people will not be achieved through collective punishment, aggressiveness, invasion, siege, blockades and the construction of settlements."

"At the heart of the Palestinian problem is the termination of the occupation, which will end the suffering of the Palestinian people and help them to attain their legitimate right of erecting an independent Palestinian state with Beit Ul Moqaddas as its capital," Mubarak added. "I say to the Palestinian people – make this your first priority and unify your forces.

"Resistance is the right of every nation under siege," the Egyptian president continued, "however this right, like so many other armed political battles, has its balance of gain and loss. Give peace a chance and don't provide excuses for those who wish to evade the peace process."