Palestinians in Europe Call for Unity

Palestinians in Europe Call for Unity, End of Internal Division
LONDON - PRC

In a petition made public Tuesday, 7 November, representatives of leading Palestinian organizations and institutions throughout Europe made a call for unity and an immediate end of internal strife and infighting.

Signed by hundreds of prominent Palestinian intellectuals and community leaders in Europe, the petition warned that the shedding of Palestinian blood is a ‘red line’ that must not be crossed. “The Palestinian blood is a red line, and political assassinations are a grave tragedy, that should neither be resorted to, nor threatened with.”

Under the headline, “Our People must Triumph over the Crisis One and United”, the petition made specific demands from the various factions and political movements that represent the Palestinian people.

“We raise our voices demanding unity for this nation, and we call all parties involved (in the current infighting) to face the current crisis in accordance with applicable moral and national principles, by favouring national accord over any other option, and for dialogue to become the only way to deal with our differences, and for the democratic gains of the Palestinian people to be preserved,” the signatories said.

They also expressed concerns regarding “repeated plots that attempt to drag Palestinians into internal confrontations which are putting security of the Palestinian people at risk.” Moreover, the petition called on all Palestinian factions to “deny the opportunity to those who are hoping to capitalize on chaos and infighting,” and to focus on “exposing the external pressure and politics of siege.” Breaking the siege is possible, the petition contends, if it was met with national unison and cohesion.

We are certain that “our people’s unity and that of the various factions and parties in Palestine are sufficient to rise above the (unwarranted) designs being perpetrated against the Palestinian people.”

The petition was signed by over three hundred leading activists and community leaders, led by:

Adel Abdullah, Vienna (Secretary General of the European Conference for Palestinians); Majed al-Zeer, London (Director of the Palestine Return Centre); Nidal Hamad, Oslo (Head of the Palestinian community in Norway); Abdul Bari Atwan, London (Editor-in-Chief of Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper); Ibrahim al-Jabrini, Austria (Head of the Palestinian Forum); Ahmed Muhaisen, Berlin (Head of the Palestinian community in Berlin); Adham Shehdeh, Ukraine (Head of the Palestinian Community in Kiev); Osama Shumarieh, Austria (A psychiatric, and head of the Palestine Society in Austria); Osama Abdulhalim, Sweden (Member of the General Secretariat of the Union of Palestinian Associations and Societies); Amjad Taha, UK (Right of Return Union in Britain); Amin Abu Rashid, Netherlands (The Palestine Forum); Jamal Hishmeh, Austria (Director of the Palestinian Expatriate Society); Hasan Shalayel, Spain (Head of the Palestinian community); Rajab Shamlakh, UK (Head of the Palestinian community in the UK); Zaher al-Beirawi, UK (Head of the Palestinian Forum); Zeid Tyem, Netherlands (Head of the Palestinian community in the Netherlands); Sami Saba’neh, Switzerland (Deputy Head of the Union of Palestinian University Students); Saleh Tartusi, Vienna (Honorary Head of the Palestine Society in Austria); Imad al-Haj al-Fannan, Sweden (Director of Jerusalem Institute); Omar Faris, Poland (Head of the Palestine-Poland Friendship Committee); Fayek Saleh Syed, Sweden (Director of the Palestinian People Institute); Qassem Qassem, Finland (Secretary General of the Palestinian Refugees Association in Europe); Kamal Maqbul, Sweden (The Palestinian People Solidarity Committee); Muhsen Shumarieh, Austria (Head of the Palestinian Doctors and Pharmacists Union); Mohammed Ismail al-Syed, Sweden (Director of the Peace Committee for the Right of Return); Mohamed al-Abed, Berlin (Head of the Palestinian Doctors and Pharmacists Union); Mohammed al-Mo’ed, Sweden (Member of the General Secretariat of the Union of Palestinian Associations and Societies); Mohamed Salameh al-Syed, Denmark (Head of the Palestinian Forum); Mohammed Salah, Sweden (Head of the Palestine Cultural Committee); Mostafa Mohammed; Germany (Head of the Karmel Society); Munthir Mari, Austria (Head of the Palestinian community); Mosa Rifa’i, Sweden (Director of the Palestinian Justice Centre); Walid Iyad, Germany (Head of the Palestinian Doctors and Pharmacists Union); Yasir Hamoud al-Syed, Sweden (Head of the Palestinian Culture Society); Yahya Abed, Ireland (Director of the Palestinian Rights Institute).

The petition was also signed by hundreds of leading Palestinian academicians and activists throughout Europe.

ENDS

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