2014 has been named the International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, in an effort to achieve peace between Israel and Palestine.

According to reports, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are working hard towards a peaceful settlement of all permanent status issues, which would mean a settlement that would end the occupation which started in 1967.

“The coming year will be crucial to achieving the two-State solution,” Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said in his address to the UN General Assembly’s Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. “The Secretary-General and I urge all in the international community to work together to translate the solidarity and desire for peace expressed on this occasion into positive action for security and for justice.” More importantly, It also means securing an independent, viable and sovereign State of Palestine living alongside a secure State of Israel, where each side recognizes the other’s legitimate rights, he added.

General Assembly President John Ashe said that he hoped the Year leads to “robust” support for the people of Palestine. “I am sure I speak for many when I say that I hope the Year helps foster an atmosphere of dialogue and mutual understanding between the two sides of this decades-long conflict,”

2014 could be an important year in the Middle East peace process, if both sides are willing to take bold steps towards peace and refrain from actions that undermine the peace progress.