At this essential juncture, Palestine’s leaders ought to come collectively to craft a transparent technique for reunifying the Palestinian folks
As Israel continues its conflict on Gaza, which is inflicting lack of life and displacement at a scale that has led to it being labeled a “genocide” by varied specialists, the Palestinian liberation battle is at a essential juncture.
Regardless of undoubtedly recognising the significance of the present second, nonetheless, Palestinian political factions, together with Hamas and Fatah amongst others, seem unable to come back collectively and lay out a coherent and real looking imaginative and prescient for the way forward for Palestine. It’s crucial for them to put aside their variations, acknowledge their ethical duties to the nation, and are available collectively to craft a transparent technique for reunifying the Palestinian folks. Such a technique should not solely thwart Israel’s well-defined and overtly mentioned plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza and detach it from the Palestinian homeland, but in addition reply to Israeli efforts to displace Palestinians within the West Financial institution and Israel itself.
As a Palestinian from Gaza, I consider at this level within the battle, alternatives are ripe for placing an finish to the continued conflict in Gaza, uniting the Palestinian factions, and launching a brand new political path to finish the occupation. There are 10 clear steps that might and needs to be taken, beginning with Palestinian leaders, to realize this and put our nation on a direct path in direction of justice, peace and statehood:
- Before everything, all Palestinian factions ought to decide to the fulfilment and eventual growth of the Qatar-brokered settlement to change Israeli captives in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
- Hamas ought to declare its acceptance of and dedication to the Fatah reconciliation settlement it signed in Cairo in 2017. It ought to name on the Palestinian Authority to imagine its duties in Gaza and likewise reassert the dedication of resistance factions in Gaza to all agreements signed by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). To counter Israel’s damaging post-war plans for Gaza, Palestinian leaders ought to set up an interim governing council for the Strip comprising technocrats from the area. All previous Palestinian Authority personnel from Gaza, together with the police, needs to be referred to as upon to return to their duties. This plan also needs to embrace retaining civilian Hamas workers, together with the police. The reintegration of Hamas fighters and weaponry into the Palestinian Authority forces after the top of the conflict also needs to stay into consideration.
- Hamas ought to publicly acknowledge the Peace Accords signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Group (PLO) as the inspiration for a peace course of, and comply with the scheduling of elections for your entire Palestinian territory inside one yr. In return, Israel needs to be pressured to recognise a reformed Hamas as a mainstream Palestinian political faction and a celebration to future negotiations.
- The PLO needs to be reactivated and reformed in a method that might make sure the illustration of all Palestinian events and parts inside its constructions. Explicit emphasis needs to be positioned on empowering younger Palestinians, each women and men, taking up consequential roles inside the organisation and have a say in the way forward for Palestine. The reformed PLO ought to embrace not solely Fatah, Hamas and different PLO factions, but in addition representatives from the Palestinian diaspora, in addition to impartial representatives from throughout the nation. Members of the organisation needs to be reelected each 4 years in free and truthful elections, and it needs to be agreed that the organisation can have the ultimate say in all essential points regarding the Palestinian folks till an impartial Palestinian state is established.
- The reconstruction of Gaza ought to begin instantly beneath worldwide and Arab supervision. Whereas the worldwide neighborhood ought to contribute to funding the challenge, the brunt of the monetary burden needs to be placed on Israel because the occupying energy accountable for inflicting the destruction. The reconstruction effort needs to be used to place Gaza on the trail to attaining sustainable financial progress. It also needs to intention to handle the fast depletion of the Strip’s environmental assets on account of the occupation, together with points regarding water and electrical energy shortages, shrinking fishing areas, and destruction of agricultural land amongst others.
- Israel needs to be made to arrange a compensation fund for the households – each Israeli and Palestinian – victimised by its wars, aggressions and occupation. Western international locations adopted the concept Russia can be compelled to pay for its conflict in Ukraine, and Ukraine can be rebuilt utilizing frozen Russian belongings. The Palestinian management ought to insist that the identical duty is imposed on Israel.
- Worldwide observers needs to be deployed alongside Israel’s borders to forestall confrontations. Turkiye [Turkey], which is accepted as an sincere dealer by the Palestinians and has sturdy relations with the West and Israel as a NATO member, might be requested to tackle this vital duty.
- The siege on Gaza needs to be lifted, absolutely and unconditionally, with its border crossings, airports and ports reopened and its residents given full freedom of motion. A everlasting and safe passage between Gaza and the West Financial institution also needs to be established. Turkiye may play a vital position in opening Gaza as much as the world, by establishing maritime and aerial bridges for reconstruction and improvement.
- Israel needs to be pressured to right away and unconditionally halt all its settlement actions and provoke complete negotiations for bringing an finish to its occupation beneath UN auspices, primarily based on the 1967 borders, and inside a pre-set timeframe of not more than three years. The Arab League ought to proceed to push for its 2002 Arab Peace Initiative which referred to as for all Arab states to recognise and normalise relations with Israel in change for the institution of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Any additional makes an attempt at normalisation needs to be frozen till that is achieved.
- Lastly, if this political monitor in direction of sustainable peace and dignified co-existence fails or faces a major roadblock, a reformed PLO that’s saved in examine by the Palestinian folks via common elections needs to be accepted as the only entity that might determine on the longer term route and nature of the Palestinian battle for liberation.
The views expressed on this article are the writer’s personal and don’t essentially mirror Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.