The Palestinian Campaign

Two workshops were organized by the activist forum of BADIL Friends in Bethlehem and Nablus in April and May 1999. A third workshop is scheduled to be held in Gaza this summer. In June 1999, the working papers, as well as the recommendations from the workshops, were presented to members of the Coordinating Committee of the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO) in order to facilitate broad NGO participation in this grassroots campaign. The recommendations issued by the approximately 60 participants in the two workshops, Palestinian grass-roots activists, and representatives of PLO and PA institutions, can be summarized as follows:

Principles and Agenda

1. The local and international campaign proposed by BADIL is a welcomed and timely initiative which must involve not only Palestinian refugees, but progressive and democratic Palestinians, Arabs and international supporters everywhere.

2. The Palestinian and international campaign must focus on raising awareness and support for the Palestinian right of return in order to counter the position - held by Israel and the international community - that this right is outdated. Recognition by Israel of the right of return as a principle is a Palestinian pre-condition for the negotiation of a concrete solution to the Palestinian refugee question. Palestinian organizations are called upon to raise UN Resolution 194 in conjunction with UN Resolution 181 (UN Partition Plan). Awareness raising and mobilization among the Palestinian community must also address immediate refugee needs and concerns that result from the heavy economic pressure in the refugee camps.

3. The Palestinian debate on the concrete meaning of the right of return in the current political context must be continued and intensified. Central questions, such as: i) return with or without Palestinian sovereignty; ii) return to where in 1948 Palestine (Israel); iii) the impact of Palestinian statehood on refugees; iv) the difference between return to the PA areas and the right of return, and others, must be clarified with the assistance of experts, in order to achieve a sound Palestinian consensus and the unification of Palestinian public speech.

4. The backbone of this campaign must be formed by Palestinian popular (grass-roots) organizations and initiatives, which express the genuine, needs and demands of
Palestinian refugees.

5. The solution of the Palestinian refugee question is an extremely difficult task. It requires unity and mutual support, and must include the Palestinian diaspora in order to
overcome the threat of geographic separation.

6. Palestinian pressure for the maintenance of UNRWA is important, not only because of the services provided to the refugees by the agency, but also because UNRWA is an expression of the international responsibility for the Palestinian refugee question. Ways of improving the efficiency of lobbying must be explored.

7. The PLO is called upon to prepare - with the help of experts - position papers for the negotiations with Israel. These papers should be presented to the Palestinian Council prior to disclosure in the negotiations. As an agreement on the refugee question with Israel cannot be expected within the near future (1-5 years), a Palestinian strategy for dealing with the delay of this central question must be developed.

8. The PLO is called upon to democratize its institutions dealing with the refugee question, especially the Department of Refugee Affairs and the PLO Service Committees, in order to allow for the involvement of popular refugee representatives and experts.

Commitments by the PLO Department of Refugee Affairs

1. In regards to the upcoming final status negotiations, the PLO is committed to abstain from discussing with Israel any details/practicalities of the refugee question, until Israel provides recognition - in principle - of the Palestinian right of return.

2. The PLO Department for Refugee Affairs will extend its support to the popular campaign for the defense of Palestinian refugee rights.