On the Palestinian Cause in Light of Regional and International Changes Dialogue Session

Pal-Think convened a roundtable session to enhance the national and Palestinian dialogue and to shed spotlight on some significant aspects in regard to the Palestinian cause amid the regional and international changes. This comes as part of several dialogue sessions that Pal-Think holds in cooperation with Fridrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), a leading non-profit foundation that is committed to the advancement of both socio-political and economic development accompanied with social democracy, research, international cooperation and civic education.

Academics, researchers, CSOs, authors and youths attended the session and got engaged in a deep discussion about the Palestinian cause in light on the changes and what is to be anticipated in the upcoming phase in this regard. Pal-Think hosted, via Skype, Dr. Nasser AlQudwa, Fatah Central Committee Member and Chairman of Yaser Arafat Foundation, and Mr. Hans Alben, Director of (FES) in Palestine.

At the outset of the session, Mr. Omar Shaban, Director of Pal-Think for Strategic Studies, warmly welcomed the audience and guests and appreciated their interest in participating and willing to enhance the art of dialogue considered as a method to undermine the prominence of profoundly perceiving the Palestinian cause, highlighting Palestinian leadership’s intention towards elections, expectations of the Palestinian People, the recent changes in Palestine and how it is affected by the regional and international changes.

Following the session, Mr. Hans expressed his pleasure to join the session in mid of other Palestinian thinkers. Indeed, he stressed that the world has not recently cared about the Palestinian cause. As a result, more pressing issues emerged in Palestine and the problem exacerbated.

“The US Policy does not encourage us to put high hopes towards a solution for the Palestinian cause. Being said, Palestinians have to adopt new steps like elections to prove and show its democratic-oriented consideration in the international arena”. He added.

Thereafter, Dr. Nasser commenced his speech by thanking Mr. Hans, Pal-Think represented by Mr. Omar Shaban, Director of it and audience for their explicit determination to support the Palestinian cause and to participate in sessions chiefly focusing on the Palestinian cause.

“There is a fierce US-supported Israeli-right-wing attack on the Palestinian cause. In addition, the US took unfair steps against Palestine embodied in realizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, closing the Palestinian Liberty Organization office in Washington and currently working on shutting down the UN aids.” Dr. Nasser stated with resentment.

Additionally, he emphasized that European countries have been trying to do something for Palestine and they have not adopted a negative role towards Palestine, yet they should have exerted more efforts to abolish the continued US-Israeli policies against Palestine and its people. Plus, he suggested that the EU countries, through European-Israeli bilateral relations, have to insist on that Israel have to realize East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, realize Palestine as a country on the borders of 1967 and take firm decisions against settlements and factories established there.

“The US and Israel created an imaginary danger called Iran. This was all to cover the real danger Israel forms on Palestine”.

At the end of the session, participants raised diverse questions about the future of elections in Palestine and the Palestinian role amid the continuous changes regionally and internationally.