Palestinian activists convene in Istanbul to prepare for national conference on rebuilding the PLO

Palestinian activists, media workers, intellectuals and academics in Istanbul held a meeting on Saturday to prepare for the National Conference for Palestine.

The participants discussed mechanisms of convening the conference, ways to participate as well as its goals and importance during their preparatory meeting in Istanbul's Harmoon Cultural Center.

They emphasised the urgent need to rebuild the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) on democratic foundations and ensure that all segments of the Palestinian people were included in the process.

Palestinian blogger and content creator Ahmad Biqawi opened the meeting, and members of the conference's preparatory committee Moin Al-Taher and Ahmed Ghoneim explained the conference's initiative, stressing the urgency of rebuilding the PLO in light of the current circumstances, including Israel's war on Gaza.

In the overview, Al-Taher explained the motives behind organising the conference as a step towards restoring and rebuilding the PLO, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

He pointed out that the pre and post-conference periods would all constitute a stage in which the achievements of the Palestinian people would be brought together within a comprehensive Palestinian national conference.

The top priority of this conference would be to form the pressure capable of forcing the formation of a unified Palestinian leadership and rebuilding the PLO on democratic foundations.  

Al-Taher said that rebuilding the PLO, which would enable the forming of a framework for a unified government, was necessary to confront Israel's plans for the "day after" the war on Gaza.

These target not only the future of Gaza and the Palestinian cause in general but also the national representation of Palestinians across the world, he explained.

Ghoneim said that the choice being made today was to call on the Palestinian people to undertake a great project, which is change, to complete the Palestinian national liberation project.

Ghoneim pointed out that success wouldn't be in holding the conference, but in transforming the outcomes of the conference into a tool capable of effecting change, and for the forces of change to combine and form the power capable of exerting the necessary pressure to pass the banner of struggle and political action from one generation to the next, within the framework of the PLO.

Ghoneim stressed the need to rebuild the PLO and re-activate its role as representative of the Palestinians as well as forming an effective leadership capable of change.

Discussions at the meeting focused on the national conference's goals and the preparations needed for it to take place.

They also touched on the mechanisms and tools of change, the role and position of the young generation at this critical juncture in Palestinian history, and the mode of action the conference would pursue to achieve its vision.

Participants also discussed ways to mobilise different sections of Palestinian society and ensure across-the-board participation, which would enhance the conference's chances of success.

Over 1,500 Palestinians have signed the statement calling for a National Conference for Palestine and the rebuilding of the PLO on democratic foundations.

Many of the signatories are prominent figures from various sectors, including activists, professionals, doctors, researchers, academics, artists, writers, journalists, legal figures, student activists, as well as ex-prisoners and politicians.

The signatories of the initiative from each country are holding preparatory meetings to coordinate positions and arrange for their participation in the national conference.

Saturday's meeting in Istanbul followed prior preparatory meetings held in occupied Palestine, Britain, the Netherlands, Qatar, Kuwait, Spain, Belgium, France, the US, and Lebanon.

Further preliminary meetings are planned in the coming weeks in other Arab and Western countries.

This article is based on an article which appeared in our Arabic edition on 13 August 2024. To read the original article click here.