30 June 2011
On 30 June 2011, Award organized a round-table meeting to discuss the results of the public opinion poll conducted on 12-13 June 2011.
The poll focused on the signing of the reconciliation agreement and the formation of the Palestinian interim government. Twenty individuals attended the meeting including four senior representatives of Palestinian parties (Fatah, DFLP, Palestinian National Initiative Movement, Palestinian Liberation Front), and senior leaders of national and international NGOs (The General Union of Palestinian Women, The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy-MIFTAH, al-Marsad for Democracy in the Arab World, Human Rights and Democracy Center (Shams), Catholic Relief Services and NDI). In addition, two representatives from the Palestinian President’s Office were present, as well as the Director of the Wattan Satellite TV station.
The meeting started with a summary of the results of the poll presented by Dr. Nader Said, AWRAD’s General Director.
In the context of his presentation, Dr. Said stressed the point that conducting public opinion polls is per se a “metallization of pluralism.” He also pointed out that organizing such meetings with senior political and civil leaders after publishing the results of public opinion polls is “part of AWRAD’s commitment to return the favor to ordinary Palestinians who volunteer to voice their opinions through the polls, encouraging Palestinian leaders to listen to the voices of their citizens.”
Moreover, Dr. Said maintained that such meetings are useful as they give decision-makers an opportunity to exchange opinions and form future courses of action. Dr. Bader Araj, a research fellow at AWRAD, provided an analytical review of the results of the poll.
He pointed out that Palestinians seek unity, reconciliation, democracy and freedom. Economic development and employment generation are priorities, as well as political demands relating to establishing a Palestinian state.
Summary of Contributions
Sakher Besieso, a member of Fatah Central Committee:
The main obstacles for implementing the reconciliation agreement are not in its details but in the intentions of the parties who signed it (referring indirectly to Hamas).
Fatah is serious about implementing the agreement and its seven items. He also asserted that the full implementation of the agreement in full will be extremely difficult. As such, civil society should focus its efforts on lobbying to end the infractions resulting from the violations of citizens’ rights.
These infractions include the political arrests, the travel ban imposed by Hamas and the need for a permit to leave Gaza, the lack of issuing passports to some citizens, the end of the work strike by Gaza Fateh employees, etc.
Salah Khwaja, from the Palestinian National Initiative Movement:
- Palestinian factions used to derive and maintain its legitimacy from their role in the “national struggle.” Now legitimacy is derived through election.
- Palestinian factions should attempt to “overcome their false perceptions of their own capabilities” and work hard to renew their political programs and agendas.
- Political parties should carefully analyze the results of the AWRAD polls to assess their reality and reform themselves.
Aref Jaffal, General Director of the Arab World Marsad for Democratic Reform and Election:
People are worried that if they participate in a coming free election “the international community might not accept the results as happened when Hamas won the 2006 election.” The legitimization of the idea of election must be regained through confidence-building measures including holding them on regular basis and a commitment by all for free election.
Dr. Wasel abu Yusef, member of the PLO Executive Committee:
Eight Palestinian factions [referring to the Palestinian PLO smaller parties] met right after the signing of the Hamas-Fatah agreement decided not to participate in the unity government. However, they decided to help in implementing the agreement. Hamas and Fateh are not serious and they do not take the views of others into consideration. We must do more to influence the situation.
Jamal Abu Ghosh: Central Committee Member-DFLP:
We must come together and work on building coalitions to work on specific issues to make things work for the Palestinians. Small political parties and civil society organizations must work together to influence the actions of Fateh and Hamas.
Nehaya Mohamed, Senior Leader- General Union of Palestinian Women:
The main question is how do we keep the political tuned into the aspirations of Palestinians. The surveys that AWRAD carry out are essential to present the voices of Palestinians and the collective wisdom he to leaders. Not attending to the needs of the people led to the belated revolutions in the Arab World.
Lilly Feidy, General Director, MIFTAH:
In assessing the Palestinian political situation, we must carefully study the influence of Arab revolutions on potentially inspiring new political trends. We must also pay closer attention to the youth of Palestine and their demands and tactics. MIFTAH publishes AWRAD’s polls on its website in Arabic o make sure that its audience uses the results.
Ghadeer Dajani, NDI:
After asserting the importance of AWRAD polling and roundtables, she stressed the need to revert back to the people to resolve the pending conflicts.
Suggestions
- The need to establish coalitions of NGOs and political parties to advocate certain issues. Civil society must focus on ending human rights violations in both West Bank and Gaza.
- The need to conduct more focused and detailed public opinion polls that deal with certain issues.
- Smaller parties and NGOs should work together to reduce power-monopoly by the two main parties (Fatah and Hamas)
- The rise of support to independent groups and leaders such as Palestinian National Initiative Movement and Third Way (Dr Bargouti and Dr. Fayyad) must be studied further.
- More attention should be given to studying the role of youth in political change.
- Suggestions for additional polling on corruption, perceptions of the PLC after five years of stalemate, the judicial system, the best means for resistance, mechanisms to implement the reconciliation-agreement.
- Meetings (roundtables) must be continued in the future.
Finally, we would like to point out that Wattan TV reported on the round table at its 9 p.m. news on the same day (30 June). It plans to air the full presentations and discussions on its Satellite station soon. Many other outlets also reported on the event.
For Arabic Report, please refer to the following link:
For video link, please see the following:
/www.alquds.com/news/video/view/id/277257