Palestinians in Europe conference calls for restructuring of PLO

The 12th Palestinians in Europe conference has called for the restructuring of the Palestine Liberation Organisation by establishing an elected Palestinian national council that would give rise to a leadership that represents all Palestinians and their demands. The conference closed in Paris on Sunday.

Calling on Arab states to treat Palestinian refugees well and to help alleviate their suffering, the conference also called on the Arab League to ensure that the 1965 Protocol on the Treatment of Palestinian Refugees (Casablanca Protocol) is being implemented. This was enacted so that the Palestinians’ right to return to the territories occupied in 1948 is upheld and their dignity and civil and social rights are respected.

The conference welcomed the reconciliation initiative between Palestinian political factions. “This is an opportunity to fortify [Palestinians’] internal position, mobilise efforts for the protection of fundamental rights, and confront the occupation and the challenges of the current phase,” said a concluding resolution.

Those in attendance expressed their support for all the steps taken to strengthen Palestine’s legal status at the international level. They encouraged speeding up all moves that could reinforce the Palestinian stance and legal efforts against the occupation without damaging the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people.

The Palestinians in Europe conference also pointed to Europe’s historical responsibility for the Nakba (the 1948 catastrophe of the creation of the state of Israel on Palestinian land). It noted that generations of Palestinians are still paying the price for Europe’s actions.