Meetings on Jerusalem 1993
This plan was initiated by Mr. Faisal Husseini, Head of the Palestinian team to the Middle East peace process, and his colleagues, to co-ordinate together and consult with others toward the goal of forming the departments and divisions of a Jerusalem National Council.
Before the announcement of its founding, planned for mid-December 1993, local Arabic and Israeli press ran reports on these national efforts. What follows is a outline of the process and progress of the Jerusalem National Council.
On 1 November 1993, Faisal Husseini, head of the Palestinian negotiating team to the Middle East peace talks, called a meeting at the Orient House in East Jerusalem to discuss establishing the basic structure for the "Jerusalem National Council - Palestine".
The founding members of this Council (approximately 50 persons) formed the General Assembly which met on 4 November 1993 at the Orient House under the chairmanship of Faisal Husseini.
The Assembly discussed the following issues:
Israeli Closure and Checkpoints around Jerusalem;
Settlements;
Residents and Housing;
Issues in the Old City;
Religious Institutions;
Activities in Jerusalem;
the Relationship between Jerusalem and the Rest of the Occupied Territories;
the Current Stage of the Discussions between Faisal Husseini and the Israeli Police Minister Shahal and Possible Changes on the Ground over the Next Two Years;
International, Arab and Islamic Positions;
Arab Countries' Interests in Aiding Palestinians;
NGO Positions on Jerusalem;
Christian Institutions and the Issue of the Vatican and Christian Properties;
Health and Education;
and the Likud Party takeover of the Israeli Jerusalem Municipality.
Discussion of these issues was to be through a collective effort in order to obtain comprehensive perspectives focussing on three different fronts: the internal front, the Arab-Islamic front, the Israeli front.
In this first public meeting, the assembled members recommended the following:
1. Appointment of Hassan Tahboub as deputy chair to lead Assembly meetings in the absence of the head, Faisal Husseini;
2. Formation of a temporary Preparatory Committee made up of six members and headed by Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi;
3. Assignment of specific duties to the Preparatory Committee until the formation of the Executive Bureau and National Body departments.
4. The duties of the Preparatory Committee are to concentrate on the following matters:
b. Preparation of a plan for the formation of the national forum;
c. Compilation of lists of candidates for membership in the body, for a working relationship with the body or for consultation purposes;
d. Co-ordination and consultation with all parties interested in Jerusalem with the purpose of clarifying the efforts and ideas of the working papers discussed in the forum meetings.
5. A second preparatory meeting of the Assembly to be held on Thursday 18th November from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm at the Orient House in Jerusalem.
The Work of the Preparatory Committee.
The Preparatory Committee held three seminars at PASSIA to exchange the ideas, views and opinions of individuals, representatives from organisations or projects and political factions from Jerusalem. Over 30 people attended each of these seminars and the following three issues emerged from them:
I. The Basic Goal:
.............................chanics of the Palestinian national leadership, which will be in place during the transition period, was deemed necessary so as to ensure that it has a role and a presence in Jerusalem. Its authority must eventually extend from Gaza and the Jericho area to the West Bank and Jerusalem where it will have an active public role with influence and presence in Jerusalem from now and throughout the transition period. When discussions begin after two years, the necessary framework for the final stage negotiations will be in place.
In order to enable such a situation to develop, we must work to achieve unity on the ground and among the people in the West Bank and Gaza with regard to their political, spiritual and religious centre. What we must achieve as a working goal in Jerusalem in the next three or four years, is the extension of political influence and authority to the temporary Palestinian government to include, if not to be centralised in, Jerusalem. At the same time we must protect and strengthen the Palestinian presence in the Holy City and to enable it to defend Arab (Muslim and Christian) rights in the city.
II. Strategic Outline:
The following subjects currently make up a possible strategic outline to use in achieving the goals of the transitional stage: 1) planning; 2) economy; 3) law; 4) basic services; 5) institutions; 6) politics; 7) religion; 8) finance; 9) defence and public safety.
Restrictions and pressures must be taken into account as well as objective conditions on the ground in the regional and international arenas where the work will take place. However, the question remains as to whether the general policies and activities in the present institutions are enough. Do we need to found an umbrella national institution to unify matters under the name of the Jerusalem National Council.
III. Work Plan:
The following plan outlines the steps needed, according to the ideas of the participants, to achieve the goals of this stage: a) Building or rehabilitation of institutions and coordination with others and to achieve a unity of strength and activity in a nationalist centre. b) Providing the tools of political leadership and a detailed plan of administration through the national central institution in Jerusalem and other national institutions and activities.
Meetings of the Preparatory Committee
Three meetings were held at PASSIA on 10th, 13th, and 17th November 1993. These were attended by members of national organisations and activists from the OPT including Jerusalem and numbered approximately 40 people. From these meetings, the Preparatory Committee emerged with the following recommendations:
a. the necessity and importance of uniting national activities under a general council in Jerusalem given that it is the capital of the state of Palestine;
b. naming the council "The Jerusalem National Council - Palestine";
c. announcing the founding of this council, the working headquarters of which will be at the Orient House in Jerusalem.
The Preparatory Committee drafted the following plan for the formation of the Jerusalem National Council:
1. The Executive Bureau:
The Executive Bureau will be made up of twenty-two elected members among whom will be a President, two Vice-Presidents, a Secretary General, and eighteen members. Each of the nine departments which make up the National Council will be represented by two members who will co-ordinate with the appropriate specialists to achieve designated goals.
The Executive Bureau will have the following responsibilities and duties:
a. Working towards implementing the general goals of the Jerusalem National Council through its decisions and recommendations;
b. Representing the Jerusalem National Council both inside and outside the country in all respects;
c. Forming the departments of the Council through specialised and continuous consultation with each department including qualified personnel without discrimination or differentiation according their political views or personal opinions;
d. Implementing suggestions and projects for the departments, providing them with a budget, and assigning experts to monitor activities;
e. Any other matters decided upon by the Council.
2. The Council :
The Council is made up of nine departments, and new departments may be added to it in the future. Each department contains a number of divisions according to its particular needs. In the first phase, each division will contain a minimum of five and maximum of ten members with relevant experience and with th commitment to work in such a division. The departments and divisions are as follows:
1. Planning Department Divisions:
2. Economics Department Divisions:
3. Law and Legal Affairs Department Divisions:
4. Basic Services Department Divisions:
5. Institutions Department Divisions:
6. Political Department Divisions:
7. Religious Department Divisions:
8. Finances Department Divisions:
9. Defence and Public Safety Department Divisions:
Preparatory Committee Recommendations :
The following recommendations were presented by the Preparatory Committee in its report to the general assembly meeting at the Orient House on 18th November 1993.
1. The members of the Executive Bureau be elected by secret ballot in the general meeting of the assembly of the Founding Council on the 18th November 1993 at the Orient House.
2. The Executive Bureau be assigned to create a work programme for the departments and divisions of the Jerusalem National Council. This plan is to be developed from specialised seminars with experts and candidates for membership in each department and division. Added to this will be co-ordination and consultation with national activists and political factions in order to crystallise the ideas and efforts put into the work plan of this phase.
3. The Executive Bureau be assigned with proposing an annual budget and electing the General Financial Inspector for the Jerusalem National Council - Palestine.
The General Assembly made the following conclusive remarks:
1) Thanks and appreciation to the Preparatory Committee for their efforts and intensive work.
2) Agreement with the recommendations of the Preparatory Committee with the exception of the issue of elections. The assembly suggested the postponement of elections until the departments and divisions are formed.
3) An invitation to the third meeting of the Founding Council to follow-up planning and to emerge with a realistic framework for implementation.
