FiMED – Follow-up

Palestinian figures and organisations from the community in Austria have called for a democratic, consensus-based mechanism for choosing Palestinians' representatives on the National Council, rejecting what they described as "formal or factional mechanisms and appointments" that do not express the will of Palestinian communities in the refugee camps and diaspora countries.

This came in a statement issued on Saturday in the Austrian capital Vienna and signed by national and independent figures and Palestinian organisations. It addressed Palestinian elections, the mechanisms for renewing the institutions of the Palestine Liberation Organization and ways to ensure the representation of Palestinians outside the Palestinian territories.

Rejecting appointment, representing the diaspora

The signatories affirmed that elections are a national and democratic entitlement, but stressed that they must be held within a framework of national consensus and political partnership, with clear mechanisms guaranteeing the participation of all components of the Palestinian people. They warned that holding elections without a consensual basis could deepen internal division.

Regarding the National Council, the statement rejected any arrangements based on appointment or factional quotas that do not reflect the actual will of Palestinian communities, calling for a mechanism that guarantees genuine democratic representation for Palestinians in countries of refuge and the diaspora.

The signatories called for the involvement of factions, political forces, independent figures and national, professional and community expertise, as well as for strengthening the participation of young people and women in national institutions.

The statement stressed that Palestinians in the refugee camps and diaspora countries, as well as Palestinians in the territories occupied in 1948, are integral components of the Palestinian people, and called for them not to be marginalised or deprived of their right to participation and representation.

Elections within a comprehensive national process

The signatories argued that elections should be part of a broader process to renew Palestinian institutions, strengthen popular participation and rebuild the political system on the basis of partnership and inclusive national representation, rather than becoming a track separate from other national entitlements.

The statement also called for building on the understandings reached in previous rounds of Palestinian dialogue, including the Beijing Declaration, warning that bypassing national understandings could lead to further division.

The signatories demanded guarantees for the freedom to participate, vote, change and renew, while taking into account the restrictions the occupation imposes on Palestinians' ability to take part in the electoral process, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Refugees and UNRWA

On the refugee issue, the statement stressed the need to preserve the standing of the refugee question and the right of return in any process of rebuilding Palestinian national institutions.

It also stressed the continued role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as part of the international community's responsibility towards Palestinian refugees.

The signatories concluded their statement by calling for the upcoming electoral entitlements to serve as a gateway to renewing the institutions of the Palestinian people and strengthening unity, partnership and popular representation, so as to prevent division or exclusion from becoming entrenched.