Sections
About
Back
Document

Prisoners’ Document on National Conciliation

National Conciliation Document

 

10 May 2006

 

In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate:

Motivated by a strong sense of national and historical responsibility; taking into account the serious threats facing our people; in order to consolidate the domestic Palestinian front, and protect the unity of the Palestinian people both inside Palestine and in the diaspora;

In order to confront the Israeli plan to impose a unilateral solution on the Palestinian people, which would destroy our people’s dream and their right to an independent and sovereign homeland—the plan which the Israeli government plans to put into effect in the coming phase, which comprises completing construction of the separation wall, Judaizing Jerusalem, expanding settlements, annexing the Jordan Valley and large parts of the West Bank, and preventing our people from ever exercising their right of return;

In order to preserve and protect the achievements our people realized after years of bitter struggle, and in recognition of the sacrifices of our martyrs and prisoners in Israeli jails;

In recognition of the fact that we are still in a phase of liberation with an essentially nationalist democratic character, which necessitates the adoption of a commensurate political strategy for struggle;

In order to ensure the success of the Palestinian national dialogue; and in recognition of the Cairo declaration and of the need for unity and solidarity, we hereby commend this covenant of national reconciliation to our steadfast people, to PA President Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazin), to the leadership of the PLO, to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and his ministers, to the speaker and members of the Palestinian National Council, to the speaker and members of the Palestinian Council, to all Palestinian political factions, to all civil and popular organizations and institutions, and to all formers of Palestinian public opinion in the homeland and abroad, hoping that they would see this document as a complete whole, and will agree with and support its clauses:

1. The Palestinian people, in the homeland and the diaspora seek to liberate their land, exercise their right to freedom, independence, and return, as well as self-determination including the right to establish their own independent state with Holy Jerusalem as its capital on all lands occupied in 1967, ensure the return of refugees to their homes, and liberate all prisoners and detainees, as commensurate with their historical rights in the land of their forefathers, the UN Charter, international law, and international legitimacy.

2. The agreement signed in Cairo in March 2005 must be implemented rapidly, particularly those clauses pertaining to improving and activating the PLO, through the membership of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. This process must be carried out on a democratic basis, and must ensure that the PLO remains the sole legitimate representative of the entire Palestinian people. This would enhance the PLO’s role in leading, mobilizing, and defending the Palestinian people both in the homeland and in the diaspora. Palestinian national interests require the forming of a new Palestinian National Council before the end of this year, which should be more representative—on a proportional basis—of all patriotic and Islamic factions as well as various sectors, activities, organizations, and individuals making up Palestinian society both in Palestine and abroad. The PLO in the meantime should be preserved as a broad political front, a coalition that brings together Palestinians from all walks of life, and as the highest political authority for all Palestinians.

3. The Palestinian people have the right to resist Israeli occupation. They have the right to exercise the option of resistance using all available means and to concentrate these activities on the territories occupied by Israel in 1967 alongside all forms of political, negotiation, and diplomatic activities in the pursuit of their legitimate goals. They have the right to pursue every means of popular mass resistance to the occupation in all its forms, presence, and policies, and all sectors of Palestinian society must be urged to take part in resistance activities.

4. A new Palestinian program for comprehensive political action must be formulated. The Palestinians must adopt a unified political message based on that program as well as on Arab and international resolutions that are fair to our people as represented by the PLO, the PA (both president and government), patriotic and Islamic factions, and civil society organizations and individuals. Arab and international support and aid must be sought for the Palestinian people and the PA in order to help secure our people’s rights to self-determination, freedom, independence, and return, and to confront Israel’s plan to impose its solution on the Palestinian people and the cruel blockade imposed upon them.

5. The PA—the fruit of the Palestinian people’s struggle—must be protected and strengthened, since it represents the nucleus of a future Palestinian state. Palestinian national interests dictate that the PA’s constitution and laws be respected, as well as the prerogatives and authorities vested in the freely and democratically elected PA president. The prerogatives and authorities vested in the Palestinian government—which won the confidence of the Palestinian parliament— must also be respected. The PA presidency and the government must cooperate creatively. They must hold regular meetings to settle any disagreements through dialogue according to the constitution and the Palestinian national interest. PA structures—the judiciary in particular—must be reformed. All levels of the judiciary must enjoy respect; its rulings must be obeyed in the interests of the rule of law.

6. A government of national unity must be formed in which all parliamentary blocs are represented—especially Fatah, Hamas, and all other interested factions—on the basis of this document and a common agreed program. The new government should adopt this program to enhance Palestinian fortunes in the Arab, regional, and international arenas. Current threats must be confronted by a strong government of national unity that enjoys the unanimous political support of all Palestinian factions—as well as Arab and international support—to enable it to carry out reform, fight poverty, deal with unemployment, and better serve the Palestinian people who have had to shoulder the burdens of resistance, intifada, and Israeli aggression. In particular, this government should serve the interests of the families of martyrs, prisoners, the wounded, and those whose properties were destroyed by the Israelis, as well as the unemployed and the newly graduated.

7. Peace talks with Israel are the responsibility of the PLO and the PA president on the basis of clinging to the fixed Palestinian national goals. If any fateful agreement is reached, it should be referred to the new PNC for its approval—or referred to the people in a referendum where possible.

8. Liberating prisoners and detainees in Israeli jails is a sacred patriotic duty that all patriotic and Islamic factions, as well as the PLO, the PA, the PC, and all resistance factions, should pursue.

9. More efforts should be made to support and help refugees,  and defend their rights. A representative popular conference should be held to stress the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland, and to call on the international community to implement UN resolution 194 that demands the refugees’ return and for them to be compensated.

10. A unified resistance front (which shall be called the Palestinian Resistance Front) should be formed to lead and pursue the resistance against Israeli occupation and unify all resistance factions under one leadership and provide a unified source of political authority for its actions.

11. Upholding democratic ideals by holding regular, free, and fair elections— according to the law—for the presidency, the Palestinian parliament, and local and municipal councils. The principle of the peaceful transfer of power must be upheld, and all factions must promise to respect the people’s democratic choices. The rule of law must be upheld, and freedoms including that of the press must be respected. There should be no discrimination between people on any basis, and women’s rights and gained privileges must be strengthened and developed.

12. The unjust blockade imposed on our people by the United States and Israel must be rejected and condemned. The Arab world—on both official and popular levels—must be called upon to support the Palestinian people, the PLO, and the PA. Arab governments should be urged to implement the political, financial, media, and economic resolutions of various Arab summits that promised support for the Palestinian people. The PA’s commitment to joint Arab action and Arab unity must be stressed.

13. Calling on the Palestinian people to maintain unity of ranks and to unite in support of the PLO and the PA (both president and government). Unity and steadfastness in the face of Israeli aggression and blockade must be enhanced. Interference in Palestinian internal affairs must be utterly rejected.

14. Rejecting all forms of division and disunity, which ultimately lead to civil strife. The use of weapons to settle internal disputes must be rejected whatever the justifications. The resort to arms between the sons of one people must be banned. Palestinian blood is sacred and must not be spilled with impunity. Dialogue should be the only means to settle disputes. Palestinians should be able to express their opinions freely and in a peaceful and legal manner including opposition to government policies and the organization of demonstrations and protests as long as they are free of arms and commit no transgression against the Palestinian people and their private and public properties.

15. It is in the Palestinian national interest to ensure that the people of Gaza in their new circumstances participate fully in the battle for independence and statehood. Gaza should become a source of strength to support the steadfastness of our people in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Ways and means to resist occupation must be reviewed and overhauled.

16. The Palestinian security establishment must be reformed and enhanced on a modern basis so as to enable it to better carry out its duties in protecting citizens, resisting Israeli aggression, uphold law and order, clamp down on anarchy, put an end to the spread of weapons in unauthorized hands, and confiscate all illegally-held weapons, which have been used to do great harm to the image of the resistance and threatens the unity of the Palestinian society. The security establishment must coordinate closely with resistance factions and protect their arms.

17. The PC is called upon to pass legislation regulating the activities of the security establishment. Security personnel must be prohibited from engaging in political or factional activity by law and must abide by the decisions made by the elected political authorities as specified by law.

18. International solidarity and peace loving organizations must be called upon to support our people’s just struggle against Israeli occupation, settlements, and the separation wall. International campaigns must be launched calling for the International Court of Justice resolution on the wall to be implemented, and for the wall to be brought down and the illegality of settlement activities affirmed.

 

Source: Journal of Palestine Studies  35, no. 4 (Summer 2006): 172-75, as translated by Mideast Mirror, 12 May 2006.