MIFTAH recently held its conference entitled: “Participation and Complementarity as a Strategy of Governance amid crises”, attended by a wide spectrum of government representatives, local councils, civil society institutions, popular committees, researchers and academics, in addition to representatives from international institutions.

The conference addressed how the Palestinian people’s existence is being targeted along with their ability to survive and remain steadfast amid the genocide in the Gaza Strip, escalating settlement policies and forced displacement from the West Bank, including Jerusalem. It showed how these complex crises exposed the diminishing effectiveness of the Palestinian institutional structure, the limitations of a centralized model of governance and its inability to singularly respond to the needs of society and protect the social fabric.

The participants reiterated that participation and complementarity between the government, civil society, local councils and popular committees is no longer an administrative option or a procedural improvement, but a national and structural necessity to ensure steadfastness and the ability to manage crises, and preserve social unity and Palestinian geographic integrity in the face of the escalating colonialist onslaught.

They indicated that the absence of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) prompted CSO’s to reconsider public policies and contribute to the development of perspectives on governance, provide practical alternatives that promote national unity and reorganize the relationship between the state and society on the basis of participation and complementarity.

The participants reiterated that experience in the field in the West Bank and Gaza Strip proved that local councils, popular committees and grassroots organizations, played a pivotal role in protecting citizens and providing basic services during times of government capacity collapse. They stressed that ignoring these roles or administratively confining them exacerbated fragility rather than hinder it.

The conference concluded with general agreements over the following points:

One: Adopting participation and complementarity as a National Government Policy

1. Adopting the principle of “complementary participatory governance” as a public policy for this stage: a unifying national framework, not a closed executive plan.
2. Reaffirming the institutional and legislative structural unity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a fundamental and legal reference, and the rejection of any permanent formula of fragmentation.
3. Complementarity calls for the adoption of official- civil partnership in planning emergency priorities and ensuring services and societal oversight, while respecting roles and not replacing them.
4. Considering social protection and preventing expulsion as a central government function, managed at the official/civil level and according to a clear rights-based logic.
5. Establishing permanent national red lines, the right to self-determination and statehood, the right to protection of society, refusal to depoliticize the cause and rejection of any arrangements that cancel out or fragment national representation, while strengthening international solidarity on this basis.

Two: Accountability and societal trust

1. Promoting the mechanisms of societal accountability as a complementary element of participation, ensures justice in the distribution of resources, protects civil action from politicization and polarization and contributes to rebuilding trust between society and institutions of governance.
2. Adopting a declared and binding policy that determines the framework and shape of partnership between CSOs and public institutions, reaffirming the role of civil society in contributing to the formulation of public policies and decisions pertaining to public affairs.
3. Empowering and building the capacities of CSOs in public policies and rules of good governance, and promoting and developing tools for societal accountability.

Three: Promoting the role of local players in crisis management

1. Recognizing the pivotal role of local councils and popular committees in refugee camps, especially in emergency contexts, and developing the experiences of the Gaza Municipality and popular committees in the Jenin camp as two national models that can be evaluated, developed and circulated.
2. Moving from impromptu responses to sustainable and participatory crisis management, based on planning, resource integration and linking social interventions with fair and transparent spending plans.

Four: From the concept of governor to the strategy of governorate

1. Calling to redefine the role of governor and move from a model of “governor” as an individual central authority to a modal of ‘governorate” as an institutional, participatory and complementary body that constitutes a platform for coordination between government and community.
2. Adopting the model of governorate councils as a unifying institutional framework that includes elected representatives of local councils, CSOs, popular committees and the private sector, to promote popular participation and protect Palestinian geographic unity from fragmentation.
3. Organizing the relationship between central and local levels on the basis of functional complementarity and the distribution of authorities, to prevent placing the burdens of the state on society. At the same time, this prevents decentralization to be used as an instrument of fragmentation, in the service of the colonialist project.

The conference closed by emphasizing that confronting the escalating colonialist onslaught cannot be achieved through closed, centralized instruments or top-down approaches. Instead, it requires a model of national governance grounded in participation and complementarity. This model should be based on mutual recognition of roles and the revival of social structures. It must operate within a unifying national framework that protects the unity of society and geography and promotes Palestinian steadfastness.

MIFTAH reiterated its commitment to continuing this discussion, based on its interest in contributing to the promotion of national dialogue. In this regard, MIFTAH does not position itself as an alternative to any legislative or executive body, nor does it seek to replace the role of any political player. Nonetheless, given the significance of the current context and dangers facing our causes, MIFTAH is keen on its commitment to a unifying national approach that promotes dialogue between Palestinians.

MIFTAH looks forward to building on the outcomes of this conference and turning them into sustainable policy and dialogue pathways. The ultimate goal is for the Palestinian government to adopt a policy of participatory and complementary governance. This would lay the groundwork for a model of local governance that reflects the will of society and protects its unity, at one of the most dangerous and complex stages in contemporary Palestinian history.

To view the Full Statement as PDF

MIFTAH welcomes the historic resolution adopted on July 30th by the United Nations Economic and Social Council on the situation of Palestinian women under occupation. We extend our deep gratitude to all member states that have voted in favor of this unprecedented and urgently needed resolution.

For years, MIFTAH has consistently advocated for the rights of Palestinian women through a decolonial and rights-based lens, urging the international community to do the same.

While we continue to address the internal challenges Palestinian women face, through close partnership with civil society organizations and government stakeholders, it remains clear that the single greatest threat to their freedom, safety, and survival is Israel’s ongoing military occupation.

Nowhere is this more evident than in Gaza, where Palestinian women are enduring Israel’s relentless genocidal campaign.

This resolution arrives at a critical moment, as the world begins to engage more seriously with the Palestinian issue, and as the UN concludes its high level international conference on a peaceful and just settlement, including the implementation of the two state solution.

In this context, we must be unequivocal about what justice and peace demand:

• An end to the genocide in Gaza;
• The unconditional and immediate entry of humanitarian aid and supplies into the Gaza Strip;
• The right of return for all Palestinian refugees displaced by Israel;
• A complete end to Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise, which continues to expand across the occupied West Bank; the evacuation of all settlers from occupied Palestinian land; and full accountability for settler terror, including prosecution of those responsible for killings and acts of terror against Palestinians;
• The full withdrawal of Israeli military forces and governing authorities from the occupied West Bank. This includes the dismantling of all infrastructure that upholds the occupation: checkpoints, the apartheid wall, military bases, interrogation and detention centers, police stations, and prisons, in full compliance with the International Court of Justice’s July 2024 ruling.
• An immediate end to all forms of economic, military, and political support that sustain Israel’s occupation and apartheid regime, including the suspension of cooperation agreements and the termination of free trade deals.

While these conditions affect all Palestinians, Palestinian women face distinct and gender-specific harms under Israel’s occupation, realities that MIFTAH has documented extensively. From movement restrictions and political repression, to economic marginalization and targeted violence, the occupation entrenches systemic and multi-layered harm against Palestinian women.

We believe that only once these conditions are addressed, can a viable and dignified future begin to emerge for Palestinian women and their communities, after over 77 years of occupation, violations, and aggression.

As we celebrate this important step by the United Nations, we echo the call made by the Minister of Women's Affairs: words must now be translated into concrete action. We urge member states and UN bodies to implement the provisions of this resolution and to pursue sustained efforts toward ending the occupation, securing accountability, and upholding the full rights of Palestinian women, including their right to live free from violence, discrimination, and oppression.

To view the Statement as PDF

The undersigned Palestinian civil society organizations condemn the resolution passed by the Polish government and signed by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stating that the highest level of the Israeli leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, can enter Poland freely. This comes despite the fact that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Netanyahu (another arrest warrant has been issued for the former Minister of Defence, Yoav Gallant).

Being a signatory to the Rome Statute, the founding document of the International Criminal Court, Poland is legally obligated to respect and abide by the Court’s decisions, including to carry out the arrest warrants for Israeli officials on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The double standards with respect to the ongoing genocide in Gaza are clear as Poland recently protested Mongolia’s decision not to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Respect and ensuring respect of international law and treaties is not a matter of political will. Adherence to the Rome Statute concerns fundamental obligations that must be respected by all State parties. Choosing to politicize international courts and cherry-picking which legal obligations to follow renders international law meaningless and poses a serious threat to the international law-based order.

We call on Poland to reverse this decision to fully comply with its obligations under the Rome Statute, implement the arrest warrants issued by the ICC, and abide by the ICJ Advisory Opinion calling on all States to not recognize Israel’s unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory and to not render aid or assistance in maintaining Israel’s illegal occupation, as well as as well as decisions and orders by other international courts and UN resolutions. We further call on the international community as a whole to support the ICC, the ICJ, and uphold the integrity of the international legal system by abiding by their rulings.

Signatories:

• The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy - MIFTAH
• Al-Haq
• Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
• The Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center (JLAC)
• Defence for Children International - Palestine
• Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC)
• Bisan Center for Research and Development
• Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)
• Al Mezan Center for Human Rights

The execution of five members of the armed resistance, the murder of an 11-year-old girl and the serious wounding of over 35 unarmed people in Nablus on 15th September, did not receive any significant coverage in the mainstream press. Doctor J, a cardiac surgeon whose house lies adjacent to the garden where Israeli soldiers shot the five men, has now given an additional account of what took place that morning.

In the early morning, the Israeli army occupied the home of the doctor, forced his family into one room and took up sniper positions from the windows, in order to kill the five men. Later an Israeli commander used the doctor as a human shield forcing him to walk to the scene of where the killings took place, to search the pockets of the dead men and to drag their mutilated bodies towards the soldiers. The use of human shields is illegal under international law, which prohibits an occupying army from forcing civilians to take part in any kind of military activity. Doctor J told us that he never imagined that he and his family would have to undergo such a traumatic experience.

Dr. J is a cardiac surgeon who has worked in both private and public hospitals in the West Bank, and Europe. He lives with his wife and children in a smart villa in the Rafidia area of Nablus. He told us that he has not had problems with soldiers in the area where he lives before, and that even during major incursions into Nablus, he was not directly affected by soldiers until Wednesday 15th September.

At approx 4:45 am soldiers stormed the home of the Doctor. His wife told the soldiers that their children were sleeping in another room and asked if she could go and wake them up and explain what was happening, however the soldiers burst into the children's rooms, forcing them to gather in the kitchen with their parents at gunpoint. The wife then reports that the shooting started almost immediately. At first, the family could hear return fire but, after a short time, this ended and the family could hear a barrage of gunfire continuing from Israeli snipers who were positioned not only in their house, but in at least four houses surrounding them and a church.

During this time, the doctor's wife told us, that the soldiers exchanged grenades with one another, in front of their children. She was clearly upset that her children had seen this. The family said that they felt threatened by the soldiers, but when they asked how long they would be in their home a soldier replied ' just a few minutes' and then said - "you don't have to worry, we are the good guys we will protect you."

At around 6.30 - 7 am, after the shooting had finished, a commander took the doctor from his home and ordered him to carry out several actions for him. For the next few hours the doctor was to be used as a human shield. The doctor told us that he felt obliged to follow the commander's orders, because his wife and children were being held at gunpoint and his parents were also being detained in another house.

The commander told the doctor that there was a sixth Palestinian man injured and hiding in the neighbour's house. He ordered the doctor to go to this house and search it. He gave the doctor strict orders to enter the house by the back door and then leave via the front door. The doctor was forced to walk alone to do this, watched by Israeli snipers surrounding the house. The doctor found no one inside the house. When he explained this to the commander, the commander became very angry and yelled at the doctor to go back and search every room in the house. During the second search, the doctor reports only finding IDF rockets that had been fired into the house and no one was inside. When he stated this to the commander, the commander told him, "you are lying, and because of this we will now demolish the house, and you are responsible for this."

The doctor was then ordered to go into the garden, where two of the dead men lay and was told to collect their guns, and search their pockets, to retrieve their mobile phones and ID's. The garden, which covered several walled tiers was full of trees, which meant that the bodies were not immediately visible to the doctor.

When he found them he was told to turn the men over onto their backs and bring their bodies to the soldiers. The doctor reported that the men were too heavy for him to pick up, so the commander shouted that he must drag the bodies by their legs towards them. As the doctor turned over one of the bodies he saw that half of the man's skull had been obliterated and as he dragged his body, the man's brain fell out onto the grass. The doctor told us that he had never seen such a sight in his life, despite the fact that he is a cardiac surgeon and regularly conducts open-heart surgery. The soldiers then proceeded to check the dead men's faces against photos they had, apparently to identify them.

At the next two bodies, the doctor was told that he should take care and tread carefully on the grass around. He was told that there was an unexploded bomb next to men. The doctor eventually saw the bomb, but despite the danger to himself he was forced to check the bodies and drag them towards the soldiers. He was then ordered to go up to the fifth man, who had been killed a short distance away on the road. On finding the man, the doctor describes seeing blood splattered high up on the wall above the man's body.

The soldiers then used the doctor to try and find the alleged sixth man again, ordering him to enter a nearby house. When the doctor found no one except the owners inside, an old man and his sister, he was ordered to bring them out for interrogation. After no sixth man was found, soldiers brought a heavily armoured bulldozer up to the house whose garden the men were killed in, and drove it directly at the house, smashing several rooms and demolishing half of the house.

An 80 year old man had been living in this house. His daughter reported that whilst soldiers had been firing early in the morning, the old man had been running from one room to another as bullets entered through his windows and walls. The old man rang his daughter to say that he couldn't cope with the shooting into his house any longer, and that he felt that he was going to die. After the shooting ended, soldiers told him via a loudspeaker to leave his home and go to his daughter's house. He was later admitted to hospital to be treated for anxiety and shock.

The ambulance crew was prevented from entering the area until around 11 am. They were given no information as to where the bodies lay and so had to search the gardens all around - one woman started screaming and then lost consciousness upon seeing the condition of the bodies. About 5 - 10 minutes after the ambulance crew, internationals and Palestinians entered the garden; the sound of bullets was heard cutting through the air. Several witnesses now confirm that this was the same time as Maryam aged 11 was shot in the face. The shots appear to have come from a nearby occupied house. There was no cross fire in the area at the time and Maryam was killed several hours after the initial operation had ended.

According to early morning Israeli news sources, the Israeli army originally reported that they had killed six fighters. However, despite soldiers ordering the doctor to search the area for him, a sixth man was never found .The killing of Maryam during a moment of calm whilst medical teams and Palestinians were collecting the bodies of those killed, changed the death toll that day from five to six.

For Immediate Release ISM Media Office October 5, 2004

International Solidarity Movement, along with International and Israeli Activists, Join Palestinians for the Olive Harvest!

Palestinian agricultural organizations and farmers, in coordination with the International Solidarity Movement, the International Women's Peace Service and Israeli activist groups, announce the 2004 Olive Harvest Campaign.

The ISM Olive Harvest Campaign will take place between October 5 and November 15.

The farming communities of the West Bank regions face enormous obstacles to completing their harvest. Settlers from illegal Israeli colonies in the West Bank, as part of their concerted campaign to drive the Palestinians off their land, constantly threaten, harass and even attack Palestinians working in their groves. The Israeli army frequently declares olive groves as "closed military zones" and prevents farmers from picking in areas that are close to settlement fences or settler-only roads.

The Olive Harvest Campaign, 2004, will challenge settler and Israeli army actions that deny Palestinians access to their land and the right to harvest their crops. Specific areas where the construction of the annexation wall is taking place will be targeted in coordination with Palestinian communities.

The regions where ISM will be focusing participation during the olive harvest are:

Tulkarem

Jenin

Nablus

Salfit

Jayous

The olive harvest is one of the key events in the lives of Palestinians. Olives and olive oil are one the largest agricultural products in the Palestinian economy and are important source of livlihood for thousands of families. The olive tree is also a symbol of the indigenous people of the land, the Palestinians. Defending the right to harvest olives is to defend Palestinian right to their land and to their history.

For information on the ISM Olive Harvest Campaign please see: www.palsolidarity.org or call:

ISM Media Office at: 972-2-277-4602 or 547-358-579

For specific regional information contact the ISM campaign coordinators:

Dave: 972-5976-6095 Taysir: 972-5967-6090 Ghassan: 972-5967-6780

1. Israeli Army Invades Tulkarem Refugee Camp-Forces Families out of Homes

2. Roadblock Removal Turns Violent-Three ISM Internationals Injured, a baby hospitalized

1. Israeli Army Invades Tulkarem Refugee Camp: On Wednesday, July 28 at 3:00AM the Israeli Army invaded the Tulkarem refugee camp. They have been conducting house to house searches and destroying property as they search each home. Last night the Israeli Army ordered families to leave their homes and walk to the United Nations School at the edge of the camp. ISM volunteers report they are emptying the camp. END

2. Roadblock Removal Turns Violent-Three ISM Internationals Injured:

On Wednesday, July 28 at 6:00pm, Palestinians and Internationals attempted to remove a roadblock at the entrance to the village of Jabad, west of Jenin. When they arrived the Israeli Army was already at the roadblock and had set up razor wire in front of the entrance to Jabad. They began throwing sound bombs and firing tear gas canisters directly at the 300-400 demonstrators in an attempt to disperse them. The demonstrators refused to leave.

The Palestinians and Internationals remained at the roadblock for two hours, negotiating with the Israeli soldiers in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The soldiers responded by aiming tear gas canisters at the demonstrators resulting in the injury of three ISM internationals.

According to eye-witness reports, a United States ISM volunteer was hit in the face with a tear gas canister and received multiple cuts and suffered tear gas inhalation. A Swedish volunteer was hit in the head and was overwhelmed by the tear gas. The third international, an Irish citizen, was hit in the ankle with a tear canister. All three were taken to the hospital. A baby was also hospitalized for tear gas inhalation and then released.

It is clear that the Israeli Army was firing the tear gas canisters directly at the demonstrators which caused the injuries. The Army has imposed a curfew on the village of Jabad and village residents are unable to leave their homes.

Updates to follow

END

Urgent Update: March to Jerusalem Holy Sites Blocked; Buses Turned Back by Israeli Army

Buses from Tulkarem and Nablus were stopped and turned back by the Israeli Army before reaching Jerusalem this morning.

Buses from Jenin and Palestinians from the Jerusalem and Ramallah area have already arrived in Al-Ram and are awaiting the buses that were to join them in their march to Jerusalem

Palestinians from the West Bank, supported by international and Israeli peace activists, are marching to the military checkpoints surrounding the holy city of Jerusalem. They are determined to continue the protest and demand their right to religious freedom.

For twelve years, East Jerusalem has been cut off from the rest of the Occupied Territories. In the past three years, people of the Muslim and Christian faiths have been denied the right to worship in Jerusalem.

For more information:

ISM Media Office: 02-277-4602 or 067-358-579
Randa (Jenin): 059-744-037 OR 054-771-5968
Abed Al-Karim (Tulkarem): 059-836-783
Saif (Nablus): 054-439-2184
Hisham (Jerusalem): 052-224-4983 OR 054-742-9651
Mohammad (Al-Ram): 054-542-0464
Abu Ahmad (NW Ramallah Area) 054-792-4952