December 10, 2011
As part of its continuous efforts to stimulate the dialogue across generations, AWRAD organized a round- table meeting that brought together youth leaders and two party leaders -- Ms. Zahira Kamal and Mr. Bassam El Salhi. Thirteen Palestinian youth leaders from political parties and civil society organizations, participated.
The meeting was facilitated by Dr. Nader Said, AWRAD’s president, and took place at the AWRAD premises.
The discussion was guided by the following questions:
- Is approaching the UN a tactic or a strategy?
- What are the need next steps?
- How about the peace process?
- What is the role of political parties, especially leftist ones?
- What is the role of young people in responding to future needs?
The following represent the main conclusions of the round table:
1.Youth Should Lead the Attempt to Activate their Role
It was agreed by all participants that there was a huge gap and absence of effective dialogue between the Palestinian leadership and the youth.
Youth participants expressed their frustration in their leadership and parties where they feel disenfranchised and unable to participate in the decision-making process. And that is a result of the following reasons:
- Political parties are old fashioned and still cling to outdated narratives and policy positions, with no future prospects for change.
- Youth are being used by civil society and political parties in a negative way that does not foster real dialogue and discussion.
- Partisan youth will keep following their leadership’s discourse and will not have the chance to express themselves honestly.
However, opportunities for youth to activate their role within the political parties and bodies exist and this fact needs to be acknowledged among youth themselves and among the political parties and political bodies.
According to Ms. Zahira Kamal “Youth have the energy and enough enthusiasm to do much and speak to various issues; as they enjoy facility with new technologies that can be utilized to fulfill their aims. Why wait for others to give you permission, you should initiate your own action and thrive in their implementation.”
2.UN Initiative: Opportunity for Internal Unity??
Most of the participants reacted positively to the UN initiative and said that it succeeded in re-establishing the Palestinian cause internationally. They agreed that the initiative is an opportunity to reinforce the internal Palestinian front by ending the internal split between Fateh and Hamas, activating the role of the PLO, and immediate presidential and PLC elections.
Nevertheless, several youth leaders of youth felt that the PA is not serious about the UN initiative asking for a full membership. They believe the PA should reorganize its priorities and set a real strategy for the steps following the UN bid. Most importantly, participants felt it is time to activate the role of the PLO and discussed the possibilities of holding PLO elections as a priority.
3. Recommendations
- The following recommendations were raised during the meeting as an attempt to answer the main question, “What is the next step?".
- It is vital and essential for political parties and the (PLO) to rejuvenate their structures and include the new generation.
- At the same time youth have opportunities to embark upon the political scene and participate in political decisions and take the lead through activating a real and continuous dialogue between them and the leadership.
- Leftist parties should put forth more effort to become more visible on the Palestinian political map and reinforce their role in all of current political developments.
- The PA should continue its efforts to follow up the UN initiative and proceed strongly in acquiring full membership in the General Assembly.