PHA-Exchange> New: A Palestinian National Initiative

[Aviva]

From: Palestine Monitor <palmon at hdip.org>


The Palestinian National Initiative
June 17, 2002

Today a group of Palestinian leaders announced the launching of the
Palestinian National Initiative at a press conference in Ramallah, led by
Dr. Haidar Abdul Shafi, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi and Mr. Ibrahim Dakkak. The
main objective of the Initiative is the realization of of Palestinian
national rights and of a durable, just peace.  Both of these objectives can
be best achieved at this juncture through the establishment of a national
emergency leadership, the immediate implementation of democratic elections
at all levels of the political system, and reform of political,
administrative, and other institutional structures in order to meet the
needs of the Palestinian people.


Summary of the Statement Distributed at the Press Conference

The Palestinian people have sacrificed a great deal in their struggle to
achieve freedom, justice and lasting peace. They will not accept that these
sacrifices should have been in vain; on the contrary, they assert that these
sacrifices need to be translated into concrete achievements and outcomes. It
is imperative that the Palestinians' resilience and their determination to
be freed from 35 years of military occupation be activated and channeled to
achieve the collective goals of ending the Israeli occupation of the West
bank and Gaza and the dismantling of all Israeli settlements in the occupied
territories. Only then can a just peace be achieved--through the
establishment of a sovereign, independent, viable, and democratic
Palestinian state on all of the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, with
Jerusalem as its capital.

 This Initiative calls for the implementation of relevant United Nations
resolutions requiring the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the West Bank
and Gaza and safeguarding the right of Palestinian refugees to return to
their homeland. At this most critical time, we call upon all concerned
parties to prevent the Israeli government from annexing the Palestinian
territories and from consolidating its discriminatory policy of
cantonization and the creation of an apartheid system in the West Bank and
Gaza.

The absence of true internal reform and of a unified strategy has been a
weakness that Israel has tried to exploit. This has been taken advantage of
in order to undermine the Palestinian cause and to divide the Palestinians
internally. It is necessary to address this situation through genuine reform
and through the creation of internal political structures that can best
serve the cause of freedom, independence, and socioeconomic development.
Basic measures, rather than superficial changes, must be implemented in
order to regain the confidence of the Palestinian people here and in the
diaspora.

This Initiative is a response to popular demands from men and women calling
for increased participation by Palestinian citizens in the process of nation
building and for the opportunity to participate in the just struggle for the
realization of an independent, viable, democratic and prosperous state which
guarantees security, justice, equality before the law, and a dignified
existence for its citizens.

The Initiative is based on a belief in the capacities of our people and in
the strength of our country's human resources. Our challenge is to create
the appropriate conditions that will allow for the full and constructive
utilization of this collective energy and for the participation of the
people in the creation of our national structures. We affirm that internal
reform and the development of state structures concern the Palestinian
people and their institutions and should be carried out with the active
participation of the people, and not only as a response to external
pressures.


This Initiative is intended to be part of a dynamic process and should not
be conceived of as a predetermined recipe for action. It should be viewed as
a catalyst for the purpose of mobilizing the intellectual, cultural, social
and political energies of our people. We are and will remain open to the
enrichment of this Initiative by the people, so that it might become the
means for the development of a wide-scale national democratic movement.

The Immediate Objectives of the Initiative

- Creating a national emergency leadership with a unified strategy based on
the principle of full participation in decision-making
- Working for free, democratic elections for all institutions and political
posts including the Presidency, the Palestinian Legislative Council
(Parliament), and local councils with an international presence to ensure
free elections.
- Restructuring government institutions with clear mandates, bylaws, and
responsibilities in order to guarantee transparency, accountability, and
lack of corruption
- Implementing the Basic Law and all other laws passed by the PLC
- Working towards the separation of powers with independent judicial and
legislative structures, and reform of the court system
-Serving the needs of the poor and underprivileged by developing poverty
alleviation programs through employment and social welfare schemes
- Enhancing the role of local councils, and allocation of adequate budgets
to facilitate the execution of their mandates
- Consolidating and enhancing the role of civil society institutions and
guaranteeing their independence
- Centralizing the national budget, instituting a transparent system of
expenditures, and guaranteeing oversight by the legislature
- Eliminating factors that can lead to corruption, the misuse of funds, and
the abuse of power and authority
- Restructuring security forces to eliminate the duplication of structures
and to ensure their abstention from interference in economic, administrative
and political decisions. The security services will be subject to the rule
of law and the decisions of the independent judiciary, and their main task
will be the protection of the security of Palestinians
· Developing and improving basic services in health, education, and social
welfare
- Promoting a sustainable and high-quality system of higher education to
meet the developmental needs of Palestinian society
- Continuing the struggle for the release of all Palestinian prisoners and
detainees
- Activating and engaging diaspora Palestinians in the nation building
effort
- Developing and expanding the international solidarity movement with the
Palestinian people.