The day began with a political briefing on the general situation in the Palestinian Territories, during which the delegation was particularly interested in the status of East Jerusalem as well as in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The ensuing discussion dealt with the role of the youth as well as the role of the international community, especially of Germany. During the conversation with Dr. Mohammed Shtayyeh, who has repeatedly participated in peace talks with Israel on behalf of the Palestinians, the official perspective of the leadership and that of President Mahmoud Abbas was the center of the discussion. The Minister spoke specifically about the threat which settlements inside the West Bank pose for the Palestinians and the economic potential of the tourism industry. At the same time, he called for the protection of the two-state solution to end the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
Afterwords, the delegation spoke with Hamada Jabar, Co-Founder of the One-State Foundation, yara Hawara, political advisor in the Al-Shabaka Think Tank and Oday Abu Karsh, head of the non-governmental organization REFORM. This meeting offered a new perspective for the delegation and particularly highlighted the difficult situation faced by the Palestinian youth. The subsequent discussion focused on the future of the Palestinian Authority and the already prevailing One-State-Reality. Once again, within this multi-faceted discussion, it became clear that there is no institutional framework the Palestinian youth could build upon to make themselves heard within the Palestinian society. It also addressed the strategic issue of how to promote dialogue between the Palestinians in the Occupied Territories, the Diaspora and those Palestinians with an Israeli passport.
At the end, the delegation welcomed journalist Mohammed Daraghmeh, who has just returned from his recent trip to the Gaza Strip, to share his experience on the ground. This exchange provided a deeper insight into the relationship between Egypt, Israel and Hamas political movement, which continues to control the enclave to this day.
Provided by
Foundation Office Palestinian Territories
About this series
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, its educational institutions, centres and foreign offices, offer several thousand events on various subjects each year. We provide up to date and exclusive reports on selected conferences, events and symposia at www.kas.de. In addition to a summary of the contents, you can also find additional material such as pictures, speeches, videos or audio clips.