Ramallah, 19-12-07: A step towards reversing the separation between the West Bank and Gaza Strip has been made after PNI Secretary General, Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi MP, successfully helped mediate between the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Gaza government to re-open the PCBS‘ offices in the Strip.
The negotiations resulted in an agreement whereby the Gaza government and the PCBS have agreed to cooperate and to allow access to and the sharing of information, with the United Nations Population Fund in a third party role.
PCBS‘ office was shut down last month after it refused a request to oversee the general census by the Gaza government, which feared that information collected under the census would be used for political purposes. The re-opening of PCBS‘ offices on 15 December will allow the institution to continue conducting the general census in the Strip, which is also currently being carried out in the West Bank.
Dr. Barghouthi has been a consistent and outspoken advocate for national unity, a core element of the PNI‘s platform. Since the separation between the West Bank and Gaza Strip in June 2007, the MP has made countless calls for all political factions to unite on a unified political platform in the collective interests of the Palestinian people.