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

On November 9, 1989 the Berlin Wall - which truly epitomized the Cold War in Europe and, therefore, became the symbol of shame of the politics of division of the 20th century - was torn down.

Now, a new wall must fall!

Let's make the coming 9th of November a worldwide Protest Day against the new 'Berlin' Wall currently being erected by Israel across the West Bank. Such construction, now commonly known as Separation Wall or Apartheid Wall has become Israel's new stranglehold of Palestine and the latest assault by the Occupation: land confiscation, water confiscation, destruction of lives and livelihoods of Palestinians, all in a new drive to expand truly colonialist measures under the usual pretenses in order to achieve long-standing goals in a frightening fashion similar of 1948's events.

Join those who share a belief that the absurdity of this medieval concept must soon succumb. The Palestine Monitor and the GIPP - Grass Roots International protection for Palestinian People movement - urge you to participate in this effort by organizing pickets, demonstrations, lectures, and related activities to raise awareness in your community about the impact and meaning of this new wall.

We are urging people to come up with anything they think they can do in their own communities.

It could be: pickets, demonstrations, vigils, lectures/conferences/debates, artistic events/fairs/festivals/theatric performances, convoys or marches, and/or any related activities to raise awareness in your community about the impact and meaning of this new wall.

Some people who live in administrative capitals are choosing to demonstrate in front of Israeli Embassies, other are choosing to stage demos on public squares, others in community centers, churches, etc. It all depends on the expertise of those who are sponsoring the events (some events will be very loosely organized, some more formally thought through). Some are thinking about media advanced work. Some plan to erect a paper or plastic walls across roads or parks and then make the wall fall. Some are printing leaflets. Some are organizing boots and stands with info about the humanitarian impact of the wall (which can be easily downloaded from many websites). So, whatever you might propose must come out of your perceived capabilities.

The ones who know better a community are the ones who live in it, so what works for a place may not be as productive for other setting or environment. So people at various places can come up with the best solution about what could mobilize their peers, their communities, their media outlets, etc. Any good idea or effort are welcomed, so we invite you to invite others to debate, share ideas and think of what would work for your community.

After you had sorted out what you want to carry on, we would appreciate if you could let us know about more specific details: description of planned activities, meeting points, schedules, people to contact and their contact details, etc. This is because we want to post a list of everything that will be going on everywhere at our website, so people can look for what will be going on in their own places and then join the activities!!!

Provisional list of activities on the initiative for a global demonstration on November 9th against the Israeli Apartheid Wall:

IN ITALY :

. Action for Peace Coalition in ITALY already started the campaign against the wall and are planning activities for the 9th of November. They are now trying to enlarge the group of organizers.

Contact: Alessandra Mecozzi
internazionale@fiom.cgil.it

. Youth organizations who are already active organizing meetings and having direct experience in Israel and Palestine are also planning activities to be held across the country.

Contact: Alda Radaelli
mixarazz@mixa-razzismo.it

IN THE UK:

. Middle East Children's Alliance along with Voices in the Wilderness, Al-Awda and Affiliates of ISM have launched a national bus tour calling for the end to the Occupation of Palestine and Iraq. Part of the travelling infomation will be a replica of the Wall that our office built, as well as facts and info from PENGON . Wherever the Bus is on November 9, it will have an action specifically oriented to the Wall and its implications.

Soon to follow more info on the Wheels of Justice Tour and the Wall actions.

Contact: Uda Walker
Education and Action Coordinator
Middle East Children's Alliance
901 Parker Street, Berkeley 94710
Tel:510-548-0542
Fax:510-548-0542
uda@mecaforpeace.org

. London: A possible action/demonstration in front of the Israeli Embassy Details to follow.

. Other activities also under consideration.

Contact: The Palestinian Solidarity campaign
info@palestinecampaign.org

IN THE USA:

Los Angeles - WOMEN IN BLACK , together with Palestine AID SOCIETY, are organizing a huge demonstration for November 9th. They are hoping to erect a large wall at Venice or Santa Monica Beach, with lots of publicity and many other groups and individuals joining.

Contact: Mary

Iowa City - Events are being planned for Iowa City , and they hope on a much broader basis across the country.

Contact: Margaret Kiekhaefer
gerernst@avalon.net

IN GERMANY:

Under discussion, an international conference to be held in Berlin. Also, organizations from neighboring countries started considering a trip towards Berlin, raising awareness along the way.

IN NORWAY:

The Nablus Society, an NGO from the city of Stavanger in Norway (which has twinned with the city of Nablus), is currently planning for activities on November 9th. They want to have a demonstration with music, theater and information.

Contact: Turid Øygard
turid@hesbynett.no

IN the NETHERLANDS

Activities are in the process of being organized.

Contact: Hajo G. Meyer
til.mey@inter.nl.net

Following some requests from Jewish groups that another anniversary should also be brought to the fore (Kristallnatch, the "Night of Broken Glass" 09 Nov 1938), Mr. Hajo Meyer declared: "I speak as one of the few people still living and active, who, -as a fourteen year old lived through the 9th november pogrome in Germany, and who also -survived 10 months of Auschwitz and who also -survived for full 12 years the worst antisemitim ever, and I feel justified to comment : There cannot be a better day to demonstrate under the devise 'let the wall fall' than precisely the 9th of November.

Only this date and Jewish participation at the demonstrations can make clear to the world that we are matured, wise and ethically- sane enough to realise that we, the Jews are not the only and eternal victim. That also we have become perpetrators of terrible crimes against humanity. Only if we show this to the world, all those who did not survive, have not died in vain. Only then their death can be given a positive meaning.

That is what the German Jewish philosopher Theodor Lessing, who was already murdered by the Nazis in the early thirties, meant when he coined the phrase: 'Sinngebung des Sinnlosen' i.e. attributing sense and meaning to events which do not have any intrinsic sense."

IN SWITZERLAND:

An Association working for Palestinian Rights in the Lausanee area is discussing a series of activities.

Contact: Tatiana Honegger , near Lausanne, Switzerland
tatiana.honegger@hispeed.ch

. Zurich:

Contact: Shraga Elam
elams@dplanet.ch

ACROSS EUROPE:

European Jews for a Just Peace - EJJP, have manifested interest in organizing activities.

Contact: Sveva Haertter
shaertter@yahoo.com

IN BAHRAIN:

A new Bahraini society called Women for Jerusalem is working to organize a lot of activities on Nov 9th in Bahrain.

Contact: Naela Al Waary
naelafayez2@msn.com

. So far, we also have received manifestations of interest (but no clear programs ) from Prague, Czech Republic , from Vienna, Austria, and from Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Please, let us know about any planned activity:

Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi- +972 (0)59 254 218
The Palestine Monitor Team: or +972 (0)59 387 087
giullianna@hdip.org
www.palestinemonitor.org

This morning, having invaded and imposed a curfew on the Palestinian village of Al-Walaja, Israeli armed forces proceeded to the northern side of the village where they demolished six Palestinian homes they claimed had been built without permission.

Situated 6.5km north west of Bethlehem the village of Al-walaja comes under the municipality of Bethlehem. Infrastructure and all health and social services to the community are provided by the Palestinian Authority, - who in the last few months have built new roads in the village. Despite the fact that there are no services provided by Israel, Israeli opinion is that the area should be considered part of a "greater" Jerusalem.

Mustafa Abu al-Tin, the head of Al-Walaja's town council, said that the forces invaded and imposed a curfew before going directly to the area where they intended to demolish the houses. In his opinion the aim of such demolitions in this area is to free up more land that can be added to the "greater" Jerusalem district.

Journalists attempting to monitor and bear witness to the demolitions were prevented from doing so by threats from the Israeli forces to confiscate IDs and equipment.

Also today 50 Palestinian inmates of the Israeli Ber Sheva prison were found to have been poisoned as a result of eating rotten food given to them by prison officers. According to Issa Qaraqie, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, five of these 50 prisoners remain in a serious condition yet the Israeli Prison authorities have refused to transfer them to hospital. Issa Qaraqie also made clear that this is not the first time that Palestinian prisoners have become ill, in some cases fatally, due to carelessness in Israeli prisons.

Israel seems to be using a system of "creeping curfew" to escalate its control over Palestinians in the West Bank without drawing the attention of the international media and community, civil society organizations based in the West Bank and Gaza Strip said today.

Today marks the fifth day of 24-hour curfew in Hebron; the fourth day of curfew in Yabad, near Jenin; and the third day of curfew in Qalqilya. Fears are that the curfews will gradually expand to cover the entire West Bank, while international attention is diverted to the US war against Iraq.

Furthermore, repressive Israeli operations are continuing in Nablus, including Balata refugee camp, without much attention from the international media. According to sources, twenty Palestinians have been arbitrarily arrested in the area in the last few hours.

As part of the World Social Forum (WSF) in Palestine calendar of activities, three busloads of international non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives from all over the world yesterday attended a WSF morning session in Gaza City, hosted by 40 Palestinian NGOs operating in Gaza. One of the main speakers was Dr. Haidar Abdel-Shafi, a leader of the Palestinian National Initiative and head of the Red Crescent Society in Gaza. After the session the international delegates, along with local Palestinians, demonstrated peacefully in front of the venue before participating in a field trip around the Gaza Strip.

The Gaza visit was the closing event of the World Social Forum in Palestine. The Forum consisted of a meeting of NGOs and individuals from all around the world to discuss how they can respond to the needs of Palestinians in their current situation of poverty and occupation, and how support may be needed in different scenarios in the future. The underlying assumption for the discussion was that of a two-state solution, with self-determination for the Palestinian people as the framework for a just and lasting peace.

During their visit to Gaza, international delegates had the opportunity to witness:

·The unprecedented grabbing of land and resources in the Gaza Strip (42% of the total area has been seized for settlements, "buffer zones", "security" zones or border zones);
·The imposition of a specific Gazan curfew (the "sea curfew" by which fishermen are prevented from fishing, which began with the shrinkage of fishing rights from 20 miles [under Oslo Agreements] to 10 miles, and then down to 5 miles and now includes the bombing of Palestinian fishing boats by Israeli patrols);
·The plight of refugees in the camps (75% of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip live in 12 refugee camps);
·The overall destruction of the Strip (the remains of the Gaza International Sea Port, the remains of Gaza International Airport, the widespread remains of unremitting house demolitions);
·The rapidly increasing levels of poverty and dispossession;
·The daily impact of the illegal Israeli settlements on local Palestinians residents, including untreated raw sewage of the Netzarim settlement (where approximately 15 Jewish families live, served by numerous Chinese and Thai workers) running into the Gaza Sea with its related negative environmental and health impacts;
·The unrelenting arbitrary closures by Israeli soldiers of roads and intersections (in particular around the Abu Gholi Checkpoint) for hours, in order for settlers to have exclusive access and free passage.

Besides these more visible scars of the Israeli occupation, delegates were also briefed on facts and figures, including the fact that 45% of school-aged children have been diagnosed as suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorders), while their mothers are unable to provide proper care for them as 39% of mothers living in the Gaza Strip have also been diagnosed with PTSD symptoms.

After visiting the Khan Yunis refugee camp, home to more than 80,000 Palestinians, the delegates stopped at the Mawassi area, which is surrounded by the Gush Katif settlement complex (Naved Galin and Ganital settlements). Despite the fact that it used to produce the best agricultural produce in the Gaza Strip and holds the best aquifiers, the Mawassi area (both Mawassi Khan Yunis and Mawassi Rafah) now suffers greatly due to draconian Israeli military measures (a military check point has cut off the area from the rest of the world; international agencies are prevented from entering the area; agricultural goods cannot be transported).

The international delegates then staged a demonstration at the Mawassi checkpoint, where they attempted to intervene with the soldiers manning the barrier to allow women, children and the elderly to cross. Holding banners and singing, "All we are saying, please, give peace a chance," the internationals were joined by locals from Mawassi and the nearby camp. After some time, soldiers in an armored jeep approached to hear the requests of international delegates, who were holding white flags and asking for negotiations. After some unfruitful dialogue with a team of representatives from several different countries, the jeep suddenly careered at a high speed towards the crowd of internationals mingled with Palestinians. After further talks, the soldiers declared they would be willing to let one vehicle pass (not the women and children, as was first demanded by the demonstrators), under the condition that all demonstrators retreat to a spot behind the metal barrier of the checkpoint. After the delegates retreated, the soldiers still refused to allow the car to pass (later, they opened the crossing for few minutes only and closed it again after the delegates had left to visit other areas of the Strip).

The next stop was Block J of Rafah refugee camp, where delegates organized a demonstration near the Egyptian border, on the site of homes recently demolished by Israeli troops. Sewage runs freely around the borders of the camp, due to constant pipe breakage and leaking caused by Israeli tanks and APCs. Some minutes after the start of the demonstration, a tank started to roll into areas of the camp again.

On their way back to Gaza City, due to a new unexpected closure of the Abu Gholi checkpoint, the three buses transporting the delegations, along with scores of other vehicles were backed up for several kilometers and were delayed for hours.

The delegates then witnessed a house being demolished by two tanks and a giant Caterpillar bulldozer at a "buffer zone" around a settlement. More than 200 homes were destroyed in Gaza alone during 2002.

Delegates also met Mohammad, a 12-year-old who attends school in the mornings but who has also created a new job for himself: he distributes his mobile phone number to cars queuing to cross so that next time the customer will, in a bid to try avoid ending up delayed in traffic, call him in advance to ask whether the check point is open or closed. In exchange for the courtesy of the information, the customer will give one or two shekels to Mohammed when crossing the checkpoint. Mohammad is not the only child with a job -- international delegates realized the appalling extent of child labor in Gaza during the evening, when the sight of children selling all sorts of refreshments near the checkpoint is too common a feature.

A PRESS CONFERENCE will be held at 12.00 on January 2nd at the Palestine Media Center in Ramallah. Journalists will receive an update on international solidarity activities and will also have an opportunity to question international delegates and members of Palestinian civil society organizations.

For more information contact: The Palestine Monitor
+972 (0)2 298 5372 or +972 (0)59 254 218
www.palestinemonitor.org