A number of representatives of Palestinian political parties and NGOs representatives as well as human rights activists, academics, experts and legal persons from the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Jerusalem, gathered on Sunday to stress the need to form a legal committee to support the transitional justice and provide support for victims.
In a conference entitled "The Role of CSO's in Facing Division and Separation" organized by the Palestinian NGO's Network (PNGO) in Gaza, they called to activate the role of the Palestinian civil society to end the division. The conference was organized in partnership with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation offices in Jerusalem and Ramallah via video conference.
Aed Yaghi, Palestinian NGO's Coordinating Body Coordinator, stated that the Palestinian people life is hampered by the restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation which also separates the two distinct areas the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and hinders the establishment of the Palestinian state. He stressed on the need to exert efforts to end the state of division between the parties of the Palestinian state.
Yaghi went on saying, ''the conference is held under the state of division and separation between the Gaza Strip and West Bank, the time the Palestinian people aspire to end the division between the two distinct parties of the Palestinian state, to enhance their steadfastness in the face of Israeli occupation and support their valiant Palestinian uprising 'Intifada'."
Beyhan Şentürk, director of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) foundation, said that she is shocked due seeing the increase in the number of settlements and the ongoing building of the separation wall in the West Bank and the continued blockade of the Gaza Strip and the internal Palestinian division.
Şentürk addressed the suffering of the Palestinian people resulted of the Palestinian internal division, recalling the division of Germany and the Berlin wall and the resulting severe suffering of the people of East Germany and their life sudden change after the reunification. This life changes seemed clear in the economic, political and social openness that has contributed to the improving of their living standards.
She expressed hope in seeing the Palestinian people achieving reconciliation, as the German people achieved the reunification and the fall of the Berlin wall. She confirmed the readiness of the European community to support the Palestinian reconciliation.
Archbishop of Sebastia Theodosios, Atallah Hanna, from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, through a video conference, conveyed his greetings from the Old Jerusalem that is present in the hearts, conscience, and minds of everyone, and stressed that Jerusalem will remain Palestinian and the spiritual and eternal capital of Palestine.
The Archbishop said, "Unity is strength through which Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause is defended. It is more important than political parties’ interest."
He demanded the Muslim and Christian religious leaders to be the advocates of brotherhood, peace and reconciliation, and avoid incitement and discrimination. Therefore, places of worship should remain for spreading the culture of the national unification, tolerance brotherhood.
The first session of the conference was chaired from Ramallah the chairman of the board of directors in the Palestinian NGO's Network (PNGO), Munjed Abu Jeish. The title of the session was "Towards National Policies facing Division and Separation".
Abu Jeish said, the Israeli occupation's measures prevented the conferees from the West Bank to travel to join their partners conferees in the Gaza Strip. He stressed on the CSO's uphold to the unity in facing the Palestinian internal division.
Director of the Global Movement for the Defense of Children in Palestine, Khaled Quzmar, presented his paper entitled "The Role of CSO's in the Unification of the Legal System", via video conference from Ramallah.
Quzmar spoke about the danger of the division which threats not only the present of the Palestinians but also their future. He said the implications of the division affected all the aspects of the Palestinian system.
He stressed the need to reactivate the role of the Palestinians CSOs and political parties that became a partner in the internal division . He called to work according to a unified agenda in order to reactivate the Palestinian law to face the conflicting legislations by forming a legal committee to support the transitional justice and the victims.
Muhsen Abu Ramadan, director of Arab Center for Agricultural Development (ACAD), presented his paper entitled "Economic and Social Policies to Promote Resilience". He stated that the economic policies that have been recently enforced by the competent authorities in Gaza, enforced without any consultation and participation, moreover they focus on the financial dimension.
Abu Ramadan said, the recently enforced economic policies are not consistent with the specificity of the situation in the Gaza Strip particularly with the respect to tax system.
He went on saying; these economic policies do not consider the repercussions of the internal division and the Israeli occupation's blockade, the resulted phenomenon of begging, increasing unemployment, water crisis, electricity outages, suicides, and poverty.
Abu Ramadan, stressed the need to promote the elements of the steadfastness by ending the state of internal division, reunification of the Palestinian political system, and adopting a cooperative mixed economy which integrates between the state and the private sector entities.
Abu Ramadan, called to review the legislations issued during the division period and stop depending on donor funds and stop betting on the Israeli-Palestinian economic peace.
The second session of the conference held under the title "Unifying CSO's efforts to face Challenges".
Amjad Shawa, the director of the Palestinian NGO's Network (PNGO); who chaired the session, called upon all the Palestinian factions and associations to intensify the efforts to end the internal political and social division in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in recognition of the sacrifices of the Palestinian people who scarified everything for the Palestinian cause to promote the Palestinian people historical steadfastness.
Khalil Shaheen, deputy director of the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies "Masarat", from Ramallah via video conference, presented his paper which is entitled, "Civil Society Initiatives & Ways to Unify CSO's Efforts".
Shaheen stated that the fundamental problem in the CSO initiatives that they were adopted on the precise that there is no political will to end the state of the internal division and they ignored the states that have the power and influence which benefit from the continued situation of the Palestinian internal division and the separation and isolation between the Palestinian cities and pre-48 occupied Palestinian land and the disconnection with the Palestinian Diaspora.
Shaheen went on saying, all these factors, deepen the Israeli occupation to the Palestinian land and turns the internal division into separation and segmentation.
He stressed the need to reconsider these initiatives which must not only pressure for ending the state of division but achieved the goal of reconciliation and the lead to the formation of a unity government and addressing the outstanding issues linked to the internal division.
Mariam Zaqout, director of the Culture and Free Thought Association (CFTA), for her part, presented her paper entitled "Challenges Facing the Palestinian CSOs".
She discussed the absence of intention for a democratic transformation and the Israeli occupation's continued crimes against the Palestinian people as well as the continued violations of freedom of opinion and expression.
Zaqout discussed the elite character of CSOs, the CSOs poor coordination with media, the impact of external pressures on the CSOs, as well as the need of division parties bias to an axis. It also focused on the civil society's inability to form internal dialogues to assess the factors of failure and success with the parties involved to achieve reconciliation, as the Palestinian NGOs to build a lasting alliance that is able to bring about change and provide a democratic alternative.
She stressed the need to create a common vision of community initiatives to end the state of internal division and achieve the national reconciliation.
The last session was chaired by the director of Pal-Think for Strategic Studies, Omar Shaban, who heard the recommendations for the conferees.
The conference stressed that the Palestinian civil society organizations must continue to play their significant role particularly in the current circumstances in coordination and cooperation with the international organizations and NGOs partners around the world.
Furthermore, the conference stressed the importance of the role of places of worship to promote peace, brotherhood and love, and achieve unity.
They also recommended working as much as possible to continue providing their services particularly in the field of providing protection for children, elderly, people with special needs and women as well.
The conferees stressed the need to form a united national front to pressure for achieving the national unity to face the Israeli occupation and its plans, by calling the people to take down to the streets to pressure on the decision makers to end the division.
They called to provide job opportunities for the graduates and unemployed, and called to unite against the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip for the 8th consecutive year.
The conferees also called to work on the social and economical policies that enhance the steadfastness of the Palestinian people.