Union rejects invitation to participate in the PNC in Ramallah

A statement to the Palestinian people on the reasons for refusing to participate in the session of the Palestinian National Council in Ramallah

Statement by Dr. Fawzi Ismail, President of the General Secretariat of the Union of Palestinian Communities and Institutions – Europe

On 28 April, I received an official invitation to participate in the Palestinian National Council session in Ramallah on Monday, 30 April 2018 as a representative of the Union of Palestinian Communities and Institutions in Europe. In this context, I would like to convey our personal and official collective position to the Palestinian people in general and the Palestinian community in Europe in particular and explain the reasons for our decision to refuse to participate in this session of the PNC. We consider it to be an illegal session, outside the Palestinian national consensus and convened at a time when our people’s cause and legitimate national rights are under severe threat.

We reiterate that the convening of the Palestinian National Council in occupied Ramallah constitutes a break with the Palestinian national consensus, in line with the announced results of the meeting of the Preparatory Committee and its decisions reached in Beirut in January 2018. It is not in line with the Palestinian popular demand to achieve Palestinian national unity and promote collective action. We consider the convening of this session to be a negative step backwards that perpetuates fragmentation and division in the Palestinian sphere and perpetuates the approach of monopoly and hegemony over the Palestinian national institutions by the monopolistic leadership of the PLO.

We hope that the Palestinian National Council will meet in a new, unified session that will achieve unity and work to develop and activate the PLO and start rebuilding its institutions on a national and democratic basis with the participation of our people. This is necessary to fortify the Palestinian internal front in order to confront the challenges facing our people and to protect their legitimate national rights. It is also necessary to review the official Palestinian policies and positions and define a common national vision. The Ramallah PNC is fundamentally unable to meet these and other goals.

We have clearly expressed our position that rejects the convening of a session of the Palestinian National Council under the occupation and our vision and commitment to the broadest national representation in Palestine and in exile. We have confirmed in press statements on multiple occasions our call for the reunification of the Palestinian National Council to unify the Palestinian national liberation movement and the Palestinian resistance.

Note: Salim al-Zaanoun (Abu al-Adeeb), President of the PNC, was officially informed of our decision.

Dr. Fawzi Ismail
President of the General Secretariat of the Union of Palestinian Communities and Institutions – Europe
Sunday, 29 April 2018

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Letter from Dr. Fawzi Ismail to Dr. Salim al-Zaanoun

Brother Dr. Salim al-Zaanoun/Abu al-Adeeb
President of the Palestinian National Council/Amman

Greetings,

On 28 April, I received your personal invitation to participate in the session of the Palestinian National Council to be held in Ramallah on Monday, 30 April, 2018, as a candidate for membership in the Palestinian National Council and as a representative of the Union of Palestinian Communities and Institutions – Europe.

I thank you, on behalf of the General Secretariat of the Federation, for your trust and for this kind invitation, which we appreciate. At the same time, I would like to express my apologies, as I cannot participate in the interests of the unity of our Palestinian people in the homeland and in exile, of the cohesion of our internal front and of the safeguarding of our legitimate national rights.

We hope that you will make every possible national effort to stop the convening of this illegitimate session of the PNC in Ramallah, which will only deepen internal division in the Palestinian arena. Our Palestinian people demand national unity and we are confident that you atree that there is no voice above the voice of the Palestinian Arab people.

The responsibility is historical and time is of the essence.

With our appreciation,

Dr. Fawzi Ismail
Union of Palestinian Communities and Institutions – Europe