Civil society coalition warns against imposing representatives on Palestinian communities

A coalition of Palestinian civil society organizations has warned against moves related to the representation of Palestinian communities in the diaspora, expressing concern over what has been raised regarding communities in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. The coalition rejected turning the communities into an arena for reproducing political representation through appointment or imposing individuals, and stressed that the formation of any electoral body must be based on announced rules and clear criteria.

A coalition of Palestinian civil society organizations has warned against moves and procedures related to the representation of Palestinian communities in the diaspora and the mechanisms for selecting their representatives, expressing concern over what has been raised regarding Palestinian communities in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. The coalition said in a statement that what is happening, including selective communication with some components of the communities and the formation of electoral bodies without sufficient transparency regarding the criteria for their formation, raises serious questions about the independence of the electoral process and the legitimacy of the representation it could produce. It categorically rejected turning Palestinian communities into an arena for reproducing political representation through appointment, selection, or imposing specific individuals, affirming that the communities in the diaspora are an integral part of the Palestinian people. It stressed that the formation of any electoral body or representative body must be based on announced rules, clear criteria, and fair representation. It also rejected the monopolization of the representation of Palestinians in the diaspora by one party, or turning the Palestinian National Council into an arena for redistributing representation according to unilateral arrangements. The coalition called for the reorganization of community representation within the National Council to be achieved through comprehensive national consensus, with the participation of the communities themselves, national forces, and civil society institutions.