National Conference “Transitional Justice“: The Key to Guaranteeing the Success of National Efforts for Reconciliation Closing Statement

Date 2023-03-01

LOCATION ًWest Bank and Gaza

MUSAWA-The Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession, held in cooperation with the community committee a national conference on 25/02/2023 at the Red Crescent Society in Ramallah and the Roots hotel in Gaza via video conference. The conference witnessed a remarkable presence of Palestinian political parties and factions, non-partisans, civil society organizations, politicians, academics, intellectuals, former and current officials, human rights activists, jurists, businessmen, unionists, mukhtars and university students, in addition to a remarkable turnout of Palestinian women. Representatives of political factions gave their speeches followed by a speech by the Community Committee to End the Division, and concluded with MUSAWA’s speech.

The first session discussed many papers related to the success odds of transitional justice in the Palestinian context, the Public’s role in achieving reconciliation, prosecution, providing remedy and redress to victims, truth committees, institutional reform and commemoration.

The second session focused on the experiences of the Arab world in transitional justice such as Libya, Iraq, and Algeria, and all the lessons learned.

The participants expressed their complete refusal of the continuation of the abhorrent division for over 15 years, which led to catastrophic effects on the Palestinian Cause, the struggle of the Palestinian people, the Escalation of the occupation, and the increase in attacks on Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as all the negative effects on the political, economic, social, and human rights levels.

The participants called to immediately end the division and join hands in fighting the Far-right Israeli government and the terrorism of the settlers and the IDF. The participants also stressed the need to start implementing the provisions of the Algeria Declaration to End the Division (2022), and all the previously signed agreements such as The First Cairo Agreement (2005), The National Conciliation Agreement (2006), The Mecca Agreement (2007), Sana’a Agreement (2008), The Cairo Agreement (2011), The Gaza Agreement (2014), The Cairo Agreement (2017), Memorandums of Understanding (2020), and The Cairo Dialogue (2021), in addition to reminding of the Private Sector Initiative (2006) and Prisoners Agreements in the same year.

The participants condemned the failure to implement any of the aforementioned agreements, called for genuine political will to end the division, and adopted the Algeria Declaration as a roadmap to implementing the agreements.

They emphasized that the abhorrent division is like a second Balfour that we create by ourselves, causing disastrous effects that eliminate the Palestinian Cause and weaken the struggle of our people. They also called on all segments of the Palestinian people in the homeland and diaspora to continue their initiatives and activities lobbying both sides of the division in the West Bank and Gaza until the division is ended.

Moreover, they requested that Palestinian factions and Independent people hold a conclusive national dialogue, expressing their gratitude to the Algerian government for their willingness to host it, in hopes of reaching a unified national struggle strategy and a political agenda founded on a full partnership, that meets all the transitional justice standards, to protect the national project and move forward in the fight for freedom and independence. They also underlined that the people are the source of authority and that The Basic Law is a constitutional reference that should be respected and abided by all.

The participants expressed their intent to form a follow-up committee to monitor the implementation of the conference resolutions.