Written by: Salah Al-Deen Mousa, a Palestinian lawyer
To achieve unity, practical measures must be taken on the ground to restore people’s confidence in the sincerity of the growing announcements of reconciliation. Grand declarations about achieving comprehensive national unity, forming a unified government, uniting national efforts, among others, are merely empty rhetoric that will not address the needs or alleviate the struggles of our people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and occupied Jerusalem. To avoid falling into the trap of repetition and empty promises, we propose several steps to help restore social and political cohesion by fostering a culture of participation through the following:
1. Engage with youth organizations active in the effort to end division and strengthen national unity, both within Palestine and abroad, particularly those formed since the war on Gaza. Involve these youth organizations in the agreed-upon leadership framework, rather than limiting participation to Palestinian factions and organizations. Youth organizations have played a crucial role in defending the Palestinian cause and effectively raising awareness of the Palestinian narrative.
2. It is essential to invite Palestinian academics and community activists from around the world to participate in the leadership framework. They should prepare to form structures that support reconciliation efforts, transforming them into continuous and sustainable mechanisms. This is particularly important for academics and activists who have led campaigns to revitalize the PLO and call for unity.
3. Youth organizations, academic figures, activists, and civil society organizations must launch a unified platform to support reconciliation efforts. This platform should serve as a symbol of unifying efforts, spreading the spirit of unity, and rejecting the language of hatred and incitement against one another.
4. It is essential to invite trade and professional unions, including the Bar Association, engineers, doctors, pharmacists, student movements in Palestinian universities and institutes, civil society organizations, and members of elected municipalities and chambers of commerce to participate in the formation rounds. This should not be done through screened representatives. These groups have maintained elections within their institutions and possess representative legitimacy on the ground.
5. Restore the salaries and rights of those persecuted due to their political affiliation or alignment with movements or orientations different from the PA and/or the PLO. This should be enacted through a law issued by the president to ensure that individuals feel a tangible change in their lives.
6. Issue a clear call from the Fatah Movement and Hamas to all their members and supporters to cease media campaigns against each other. Instead, shift efforts to focus on ending the aggression against the Palestinian people and supporting international resolutions, including the recent International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion.
7. Involve new figures in any upcoming government or new formation of the National Council, with a significant portion allocated to youth. Palestinian youth have consistently presented an unparalleled model of representing the Palestinian cause to the world and have been deprived of exercising their political and civil rights for a long time.
8. Cease issuing any laws, making decisions, or taking actions that may hinder the chances of restoring unity and overcoming division in the future.
9. Transform the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion into a tangible reality requires forming a unified legal and technical framework. This framework should focus on ending the occupation, creating international public opinion, and influencing key players to make the freedom of Palestine achievable.
10. It is crucial to engage Palestinian activists and figures across the Arab world to rebuild connections with Arab communities, rejuvenate Palestinian communities everywhere, and remove any barriers to the involvement of Palestinian parties or individuals. This approach will help restore cohesion and foster collaborative efforts to address the severity of the crisis.
11. It is essential not to focus solely on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip but to seek effective ways to ensure the participation of our people in occupied Jerusalem and the diaspora through their genuine representatives from various fields.
Big slogans have worn out the Palestinian people and will not lead to unity. Instead, it is necessary to take small but impactful steps that foster genuine cohesion and align with the people's needs and aspirations.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's views and not necessarily the Association's or donor's opinion.