Ramallah (Ma'an) – The coalition of Independent Palestine, the list that Dr. Moustafa Barghouthi was elected into the PLC on and that Rawia Shawa just resigned from, does not want her to leave the bloc.
She announced a ‘friendly split’ Friday saying she had discussed the issue with Barghouthi; however Barghouthi said she left without his consultation.
They were elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council with the rest of the Independent Palestine coalition, but Shawa has tendered her resignation in order to be completely independent inside the PLC.
In a statement issued Saturday Independent Palestine said they received a copy of Shawa's resignation from the bloc on Thursday. The bloc, however, seems disgruntled. One of their comments was that she wanted complete independence all along and only ran with them, on the Independent Palestine List, because she had no chance on her own amongst the Gaza constituency. Apparently the number of votes for Shawa on the List was relatively low.
The coalition added that Shawa's legal, political, and financial commitments toward them and her commitments towards her colleagues and constituents cannot just disappear because wants to be an independent. The Independent Palestine List is also taking exception to her decision to leave them as it contravenes a written agreement that all members entered into.
The bloc's statement indicated they hope Shawa withdraws her resignation and returns to participating in coalition meetings, particularly as the Palestinian people voted for what Independent Palestine tried to be: a group responding to their concerns in a balanced manner.