RAMALLAH, April 21 (JMCC) - The Palestinians, under the leadership of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, received a major recognition of international support on Wednesday, at the 5th annual Bil'in Conference on non-violent resistance.

The conference was attended by consuls and envoys from 25 foreign nations, a significant endorsement of the growing movement of non-violent Palestinian resistance to occupation and the construction of Israel's barrier in the West Bank. Organizers said some 250 foreigners and 150 Israelis also attended the event, while others were prevented because of continuing flight disruptions across Europe.

Their presence is an expression of support also expressed in the Quartet's statement last month, and the European Union's statement in December, said Fayyad to Israel's Ynet. In the conference I sat next to a representative of the UN secretary-general and a representative of the EU. This constitutes official international presence that bolsters our struggle, an inseparable part of the two-year plan to build a Palestinian state.

Fayyad was referring to the two-year plan entitled Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State, which was adopted by the 13th government of Palestine, last summer.

The program has received greater support internationally, including from the United States, and may constitute a viable alternative to the immediate resumption of negotiations, which have stalled since Israel's Operation Cast Lead on Gaza that led to the death of nearly 1,400 Palestinians.

Fayyad also pledged to continue carrying out development projects in Area C of the West Bank, currently under full security and administrative control by the Israeli military.

We will keep working on our project to build our state in Area C and on the other side of the wall, because we consider that all land occupied in 1967 is Palestinian land and not disputed territory, he said.