UNITY PACT'S 'PUBLIC FREEDOMS COMMITTEE' MEETS IN GAZA

A previous meeting of the 'Freedoms Committee' in Gaza (archive of Alray Media Agency/Alray.ps) — A previous meeting of the ‘Freedoms Committee’ in Gaza (archive of Alray Media Agency/Alray.ps)

Gaza City, 2 Rajab 1435/ 1 Mei 2014 (MINA) – “Public Freedoms and Confidence-Building Committee”, one of the five reconciliation committees on Wednesday held the first meeting in Gaza to agree on mechanisms to maintain freedoms in Gaza and West Bank.

The committee, formed of officials from all political movements, stressed the need to provide a political freedom as a major requirement to achieve the unity pact, Al-Ray Media Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The meeting called on the leaderships in Gaza and Ramallah to stop arrests on political backgrounds, and demanded to release all detainees who were issued release rulings by West Bank courts.

The director of Addameer Foundation for Human rights, Khalil Abu-Shamala demanded to facilitate the distribution of newspapers in Gaza and the occupied West Bank without any delays or obstacles.

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He pointed out that the Committee almost found solutions to many sticking points and left some for the interim government agreed to be formed of independents.

The government, to be formed by Palestinian President Mamoud Abbas within five weeks, is expected to assume certain duties that assist the implementation of the unity pact, and pave the way to the general elections to be held within six months as from its formation date.

Abu-Shamala added that the government should work to end movement restriction, which a pure human right.

Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fateh signed an unity pact agreement on April 23 to end a nearly seven years of schism.

The agreement was announced shortly after a delegation of PLO representatives arrived in Gaza, on April 22, with the aim of reconciling with Hamas after negotiations with ‘Israel’ reached a deadlock.

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Former agreements between the two movements faltered as several details within the reconcilation issues (PLO restructuring, elections, government, social reconciliation, freedoms) had been disputed over.

However, today’s fresh move is said to be conclusive on the implementation steps.

FORMATION OF NATIONAL STRATEGY BASED ON COMMON FACTORS

Khaled Mishaal, the political bureau chairman of Hamas, has called for the formation of a new Palestinian national strategy based on common factors.

Mishaal was speaking over the phone to the funeral held in El-Bireh in the West Bank Wednesday afternoon for the bodies of two Qassam Brigades’ martyrs who were restored from Israeli numbered graves after 16 years of their assassination and burial there.

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All Palestinian factions should agree on common factors that would preserve national constants and bury the division once and for all, Mishaal said, Palestine Information center (PIC) reported.

He said that such a strategy was a must after failure of negotiations, Israel’s intransigence and American indifference.

“Our path is resistance to liberate our land, free our prisoners, restore our holy shrines, and return refugees to their homeland,” the Hamas leader emphasized.

Mishaal called for building on the new spirit that arose in the Shati Declaration and to complete the path of reconciliation to the end and to unite in confrontation with the occupation.(T/P02/P04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)