Ma’an Agency
30 July 2007
In collaboration with the General Union of Palestinian women, Women Action Society and other youth institutions in the Governorate of Jenin, “OneVoice” held a symposium under the title “What is your role to protect the Palestinian national project?”, as an ongoing part of their “What Are You Willing to Do to End the Conflict?” campaign.
Following the threat and risks to the Palestinian national project after the military coup in Gaza against legitimate national institutions and legitimacy of PLO, ?OneVoice? held a symposium in the Municipal Council Hall in Jenin on Saturday 28/7/2007, attended by Sheikh Mohammed Abu Se?ied the Mufti of the Jenin Governorate, Lawyer Ghada Shadid, women activists, and hundreds of citizens from all over the province. At the symposium, the Governor of Jenin Mr. Qaddura Musa stressed the importance of protecting the PLO, rebuilding its institutions, and activating its role, in order to keep the PLO as the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people at home and in exile. He also emphasized the importance of protecting the Palestinian national project of the PLO.
Dr. Fathi Darwish ?the General Director of “OneVoice Palestine” has emphasized the importance of civic institutions and their role, side by side with all sectors of the Palestinian people and official institutions, in protecting the Palestinian national project and the rehabilitation of the PLO?s institutions. Dr. Darwish also detailed and explained the role of OneVoice Palestine and the campaign of “What is Your Role?” launched by “OneVoice? at the end of the year 2006.
Finally, the conferees appealed on behalf of the citizens of Jenin district to President Mahmoud Abbas, Members of Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and Premier Dr. Salaam Fayyad, to undertake the following steps:
?Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem, the capital of the Independent Palestinian State adhere to the political program of the PLO, which guarantees the end of Israeli occupation and its effects, and reducing the devastating earthquake in Gaza, and the seizure of homeland, citizens and public institutions by gun power, which threatens our dream of freedom and independence.
We urge you, as elected representatives of our people to work for the immediate return of the Gaza Strip to the legal national fold, stop fighting and discord and return to the status quo in Gaza Strip, and impose the rule of law and confiscation of illegal weapons, and to start a real national dialogue with all local trends, National and Islamic bodies, Trade Unions and civil society organizations and independent bodies and not confining dialogue with partisan factions. We ask you to immediately begin the efforts to hold an international peace conference, based on the Arab initiative, to accomplish the goal of ?two states for two peoples? and to end the Arab-Israeli conflict with concrete, achievable steps within a given time-frame.
We ask you to reactivate the institutions of the PLO and to activate the implementation of international legitimacy resolutions which grantee a fair, just and agreed upon solution for the refugee issue, end the expanding of settlements and the removal of the separation wall.?