The Community Committee to End the Division: We Request that all the Signatory Parties and Factions of the Algeria Declaration Immediately Fulfill the Following Requirements to Ensure the Actual and Efficient Implementation as Contained in the Declaration

Date 2022-11-02

LOCATION ًWest Bank and Gaza

The Community Committee to end the division issued a statement requesting that all the signatory parties and factions of the Algeria declaration immediately fulfill the following requirements to ensure the actual and efficient implementation as contained in the declaration.

The Community Committee to end the division formed by an initiative from MUSAWA was very interested in the Algeria declaration. Accordingly, it worked on reading and discussing it thoroughly and responsibly based on its conviction that ending the division and the realization of national unity are the cornerstones to achieving the goals of the Palestinian people in freedom, self-determination, independence, return, democracy, and development. It was agreed on in many meetings that the actual commitment of the signatory parties and factions to fulfill their obligations and turn them into a reality through connected, sequential, concrete and actual steps, would lead to national reconciliation and end the division. This requires making decisions and taking measures to ensure the effective implementation as contained in the declaration, taking into account the following:

- Agree on specific dates to hold the legislative council elections, presidential elections and national council elections. In addition to Issuing presidential ordinances to specify the dates of those elections in the timeframe contained in the declaration, by setting the legislative elections at the end of June, the presidential elections towards the end of September, and the election and formation of the national council at the end of 2023, as stated in the declaration.

- Agree on amending the national council electoral system and the legislations regulating the legislative council elections in a manner that unifies the age of candidacy in both elections, considering the disparity in the age of candidacy contained in the current legislations. Accordingly, the legislations governing the legislative council provide that the age of candidacy is 28, while it is 21 in the national council’s electoral system, as agreed on in the declaration. Given that the legislative council members are already members of the national council, this necessitates unifying the age of candidacy in both the legislative council and the national council elections, in addition to unifying the electoral threshold, as the one in the legislative council elections is 1.5% and the national council electoral system is 1%.

- Work on unifying the mechanism for women’s participation in running for elections, as the legislations regulating the legislative elections employ the mechanism of women’s representation in the electoral lists, which is that the first three candidates should include a woman, then one woman for every four candidates. However, the national council electoral system uses the mechanism of one woman in the first three candidates, one in every four candidates, and then one woman in every five candidates. This indicates that the representation of women in the legislative council elections is higher than that of the national council elections. In order to unify the mechanism for women’s representation, there has to be an agreement to adopt the principle of one woman out of every three candidates. This will unify the mechanism and increase women’s representation.

- According to the electoral system and formation of the national council, the number of members is 350, equally distributed between inside and outside Palestine as per the agreed system, whilst the current number of legislative council members is 132 who are also members of the national council. Therefore, the number of legislative council members should increase to 175 or reduce the number of national council members to 264. In adherence to the constitutional principles that the people are the source of authority, all the signatory parties to the Algeria declaration must agree on prohibiting the appointment of national council members inside Palestine, and keep the appointment of national council members outside Palestine, in the areas where elections cannot be held.

- The need to adopt the legislation regulating the elections of the legislative council and the national council, and to publish it before the end of 2022.

- Agree on a mechanism for the participation of Jerusalemite voters and candidates before the end of 2022

- Agree on establishing the government of national unity given the mandatory participation of Fatah and Hamas, and the participation of all the electoral lists of the upcoming elected legislative council.

- Agree on setting the priorities of the national unity government that starts with the fulfillment of the obligations contained in the Algeria declaration, specifically the ones contained in item 7. It deals with unifying the organizations, implementing the reconstruction projects, supporting the infrastructure and the social structure of the Palestinian people, and agreeing on an operational plan supported by mechanisms and a specific timeframe.

- Agree on a mechanism for participation and membership in the PLO, considering it is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

- There should be an agreement to sign the electoral honor code to promote the principle of participation in public life, elections, and the national unity government. It has to be signed by all the electoral lists, independent figures, and the civil society organizations involved in the elections, under the auspices of the Central Elections Committee, without being limited to the factions and parties participating in the Algeria Dialogue.

- Support the Central Elections Committee, promote its independence, and request that it issues the executive regulations needed to hold successful elections with transparency and integrity.

- Agree on holding periodic meetings once every two months for the secretaries-general to follow up on their commitment to implement the agreement.

We, the Community Committee to end the division, are hopeful that all the factions and parties participating in the dialogue and the signatories to the Algeria declaration will have a clear and effective political will that ensures compliance with the requirements of faithful execution of the Algeria Declaration. We firmly believe this is the way to reach a sustainable and fair national reconciliation that is able to overcome the division once and for all.

Please accept the assurance of our highest consideration,

The Community Committee to End the Division

26/10/2022