Al-Liqa’ Center for Religious and Heritage Studies in the Holy Land

Intellectual dialogue seminar

The consequences of the Palestinian president’s declaration
that he does not wish to run for the elections

Wednesday 18 November 2009

Al-Liqa’ Center for Religious and Heritage Studies in Bethlehem held an intellectual dialogue seminar in which the consequences of President Mahmoud Abbas’ declaration that he does not wish to run for the coming elections were discussed. The seminar was moderated and introduced by Professor Dr. Thiab Ayyoush, president of "The Palestine National University", member of the Palestinian Revolutionary Council and one of the founders of Al-Liqa’ Center. A number of the Board of Trustee and prominent intellectual and national cadres from the different political spectrums participated in this seminar.

Dr. Ayyoush began his talk by a historical introduction about the course of the Palestine Question throughout a century. He talked about the ebbs and tides in this Question which affected the life of the Palestinian people, its aspirations and its future. He pointed out to the international conspiracy against the Palestinian people and the entire Arab and Islamic nation which is mainly represented in the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the ill-omened Balfour Promise which led to the displacement of the people of Palestine and replacing them by Zionist Jews specially in the aftermath of the 1948 Catastrophe and then the setback of June 1967, reaching the Oslo Accords which led directly or indirectly to a new catastrophe for the Palestinians. After these Accords were exploited by the occupiers for the unprecedented settlement, portioning the Palestinian homeland into cantons which we have not known before, isolating the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and tampering with Jerusalem and its surrounding in order to change its landmarks and its Arab identity.

Dr. Ayyoush put forth a number of questions as openers for the dialogue. Among these questions are: is our people with the retracting of the President from his decision not to become a candidate or do we support his nationalistic position which does not accept stepping back unless the Israeli occupiers comply with the nationalistic demands which he declared that he adheres to? Will the president maintain his position not to become a candidate? Are the legislative elections going to be held? How? When? Were the Arab Leaders surprised by the decision? Were they surprised by the refusal of the occupation authorities not to halt settlement? What are the consequences of all this on the Palestinian people and on the Arab American relations, taking into consideration the American bias for the Israelis and retracting from the promises which America made to the Palestinian presidency?

The participants presented important interpositions which reflected a refined intellectual level as much as it reflected a concern for the Question and a fear about the future of the Palestinian people on its land. The dialogue reached the conclusion that the President will not retract from his position which is inevitable under the intransigent Israeli rightist coalition and the American and Western retraction from their opposition to the continuity of the settlement. The consequences of the President’s declaration will impose on rebuilding our national unity, giving the upper hand to the main conflict with occupation over secondary disputes and rebuilding and activating the Palestine Liberation Organization to include all. Some of the participants expected the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority and to awaken the Palestinian masses to defend their rights and the future of their generations in the face off the programmed seizing of Jerusalem and their irresponsible. Israeli measures in Israel’s reoccupying the land, destroying the houses of citizens seizing them, and it's denying of the refugees’ right of return. Also some participants expected that qualitative changes will occur in the Palestinian policies and programs vis-à-vis the occupation.