PNI General Secretary, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, elected as representative to serve as Minister of Information
Ramallah, 15-03-07: After much deliberation, the Independent Palestine Coalition and the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI) have opted to participate in the new national unity government. PNI General Secretary, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi MP, has been directly elected by the leadership of the Coalition and the PNI to represent them in the government, and is due to serve as Minister of Information in the new cabinet.
This comes following the key role Dr. Barghouthi has played in mediating a solution for internal peace as the representative of a movement respected for its genuine independence after the conflict between Fatah and Hamas escalated to the point of internal violence. His role involved months of non-stop shuttle diplomacy between Syria, Egypt, Jordan, the Gulf States, the European Union, and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Ultimately, Dr. Barghouthi‘s involvement in mediating what became the Mecca Agreement provided a peaceful way out of the crisis, and led to renewed dialogue towards the formation of the first national unity government in Palestinian history. It also led directly to achieving the first mutual, reciprocal ceasefire with Israel implemented in Gaza in November 2006.
This represents the culmination of the PNI‘s long-held belief that what Palestinians need most is a unified leadership, and that given the circumstances of the Palestinian situation and the structure of the political system, the only constructive way out of the current crisis was the formation of a unified leadership in the form of a national unity government.
The PNI has submitted its comments on the programme of the new government to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh which focus on the need to:
- Protect national priorities, respect the text of the National Conciliation Document, and refute partial, interim solutions to ending the Occupation;
- Dismantle Israel‘s Apartheid Wall and all illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem;
- Call for an international peace conference to bring resolution of the conflict back to its basis in international law and United Nations resolutions;
- End all forms of corruption, nepotism and political patronage;
- Ensure good governance through the actual separation of powers between the executive, judiciary and legislative branches;
- Enforce the rule of law;
- Reform the numerous security forces towards the creation of a professional service that ensures greater security for ordinary Palestinians, and the depoliticisation of the security apparatus;
- Secure the release of all Palestinian political prisoners who continue to be held in Israeli jails;
- Protect Palestinians‘ social rights, particularly the rights of women, children and youth;
- Re-design the national budget in a manner that ensures social justice, and that protects the economic and social rights of Palestinians particularly with regards to health, education, agriculture, and the needs of poor families; and
- Facilitate the creation of a student scholarship and loan fund to ensure that university students have access to funding on the basis of merit and equal opportunities and not on the basis of political nepotism.
Independent Palestine‘s and the PNI‘s immediate goal in participating in the new government is to bring an end to the political and economic siege that was imposed by Israel and some members of the international community on the Hamas-led government following democratic elections in January 2006, to the detriment of millions of ordinary Palestinians; and to prevent the renewed outbreak of in-fighting between Palestinians.
Ultimately, this first national unity government in Palestinian history presents Palestinians with an historic opportunity to return to the issues that most concern them as a nation: the achievement of peace, freedom, justice and independence.