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Follows is the full translation of the public statement as published on Page 2 of Al Quds, the largest circulation daily in the Palestinian territories, on Saturday 14 August 2004 The Palestinian land has been witnessing a devastating escalation in the Israeli aggression on our people, our institutions and our capabilities, especially during the latest events in Beit Hanoun, Rafah, Nablus and other areas. The Apartheid Separation Wall continues to be built and settlements continue to be enlarged with the blatant cover of the US Administration. Along with this deterioration, there has been an unprecedented state of loose security, violation of law, attempted political assassination, violent events, kidnappings and assaults on public properties. Today, more than ever before, there is a need to confront this deteriorating crisis which has affected the Palestinian political system in all its components. Cosmetic, administrative and partial solutions are no guarantees that this crisis will not endanger the whole Palestinian national scheme. Facing those challenges and the threats posing before us requires the restoration of our political initiative in confronting the Sharon plan that aims to prevent the creation of a fully sovereign Palestinian state. To face those challenges, we should also revive our Palestinian national program and introduce deep-rooted reforms into our political regime structure and into the decision making process. Add to this everything we need to rehabilitate the executive, judicial and legal authorities, enforce law and order, spread the basis of equality and justice, immediately cease all forms of corruption, anarchy and security chaos and prevent the phenomenon of taking law into one's hands. Dangers of the US-backed Israeli plan threaten to destroy the basic foundations of our Palestinian people's unity and our territorial integrity. Therefore, there is a fundamental need to restructure our internal conditions and put our home in order in order to be able to confront this plan. We, the undersigned, call for the unification of all forces, figures and institutions that are loyal to our national goal in order to fortify the steadfastness and to introduce reforms and change. We emphasize the following: ONE: Our commitment to our national legitimate rights to return, self determination and to set up our fully sovereign independent Palestinian state on all the land occupied in 1967 with Jerusalem our capital. We strongly adhere to the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of our people. TWO: Support the right of our people to resist occupation, settlement and aggression while excluding civilians on both sides from the cycle of violence. We stress on the importance to revive the populace intifada and to enhance forms of public resistance. THREE: Our condemnation of, and fight against, all forms of corruption and our support for genuine, serious and persistent work to uproot corruption, to expose those involved in it to accountability within the framework of law. FOUR: Our condemnation of all forms of anarchy and security chaos, including assaults or takeover of public and private lands and properties, all kinds of armed demonstrative rallies, resorting to violence and the use of arms in settling internal accounts or differences. FIVE: The immediate launching of comprehensive reforms into the PLO institutions and the institutions of the Palestinian National Authority and its security apparatuses, as well as all civil society organizations. This endeavor represents a fundamental national need to strengthen our internal powers and to augment our capabilities of steadfastness in the face of the Sharon plan and against outside pressure. It is also needed to improve the performance of the PNA and to enable it to provide the best services to the people mainly in the fields of employment, health, education and social welfare. To achieve all these calls, we demand the following: 1- Enable the government to shoulder its responsibilities and to carry out its duties with full powers as stated in Basic Law and call on the Palestinian leadership and all political forces to work together in order to reinforce political partnership and to form a national salvation government based on the widest coalition possible and to implement the reforms that were ratified by the Palestinian Legislative Council. 2- The supremacy of the rule of law and the independence and impartiality of the judicial system while following up all corruption files, subject those involved to accountability and punishing the convicts. Work should be accelerated to introduce the law of "illegal wealth" and the law that regulates works, structure, authorities and the terms of reference for all the Palestinian security apparatuses so that they would shoulder their responsibilities in protecting the safety of the people and of the homeland and in enforcing law and public order. This law should ban the security apparatuses from interfering in political, financial or economic fields or in the works of civil society organizations, except when deemed necessary under the law. The security apparatuses should be rehabilitated and their commanders be renewed. 3- Call on all political forces to shoulder their historical responsibilities and to start a serious and comprehensive dialogue based on the foundations and results reached in previous dialogue sessions in such a way that would crystallize a national program that reinforces partnership and centrality in the decision making process. 4- Serious preparation for public (presidential and legislative) and local elections based on a modern democratic law that adopts rules of mixed gender and guarantees posts for women. Call on the international community to assist the Palestinian people in organizing the elections through guaranteeing the withdrawal of Israel and preventing her from interfering, whether directly or indirectly, in the democratic process. 5- Call on the Palestinian Government to treat all forms of social congestions and to distribute with utmost justice and balance all resources in order to face the ramifications of occupation and aggression, through giving top priority to areas struck by aggression and by the Apartheid Separation Wall, and through finding the appropriate methods for achieving these goals by cooperating with civil society organizations and augmenting the rules of justice and equality. SIX: Call for democratic dialogue to prevail and condemnation of all forms of breaching this rule and urge the people not to get drawn after attempts aimed at splitting national unity or imposing dangerous polarizations and to renounce all those who assail the rights of our society and endanger its very existence. The signatories of this public statement hereby reiterate their insistence to follow up all the listed items above while inviting and welcoming the participation of all those interested, including public, national and political figures and forces. This is a Grand National duty for all of us. Signatures: 1. Abdul Aziz Q'deih 2. Abdul Karim Ashour 3. Abdul Qader Husseini 4. Abdul Rahman Abu Arafeh 5. Abdul Rahman Awadallah 6. Abdullah Abu Al Ata 7. Abdullah Abu Samahdaneh 8. Adi Al Hindi 9. Ahmad Dahbour 10. Ahmad Daoud 11. Andalib Adwan 12. Dr. Anton Sh'heiber 13. Dr. Awad Hijazi 14. Aziz Abdul Jawad 15. Dr. Azmi Al Shu'aibi 16. Baker Abu Baker 17. Basel Jaber 18. Bassam Musleh 19. Bassam Salhi 20. Daoud Talhami 21. Dhiab Al Louh 22. Elias Zananiri 23. Dr. Faiha' Abdul Hadi 24. Dr. Fat'hi Waheidi 25. Dr. Fawaz Abu Sitta 26. Fuad Rizeq 27. Dr. Ghassan Al Khatib 28. Ghazi Lutfi 29. Dr. Goerge Geacaman 30. Dr. Haidar Abdul Shafi 31. Haidar Awadallah 32. Dr. Hanan Ashrawi 33. Hanan Taha 34. Hani Al Hayek 35. Hani Al Masri 36. Hani Habib 37. Hani Saba 38. Hanna Amireh 39. Hanna Siniora 40. Hassan Khader 41. Hatem Abdul Qader 42. Hiam Abu Ghazaleh 43. Hisham Abdul Razeq 44. Huda Elayyan 45. Ibrahim Dughmeh 46. Dr. Ibrahim Khreisheh 47. Ibtisam Salem 48. Dr. Ilham Abu Ghazaleh 49. Ismail Abu Shamala (Abu Nidal) 50. Dr. Issa Ja'anini 51. Issam Abdul Hadi 52. Issam Arouri 53. Issam Younis 54. Dr. Iyad Sarraj 55. Jaber Washah 56. Jamal Abu Nahel 57. Jamal Shobaki 58. Jamal Zaqout 59. Dr. Jamil Hilal 60. Jiries Qassis 61. Dr. Kamal Al Sharafi 62. Khaled Al Khatib 63. Khaled Jum'aa 64. Khaled Mansour 65. Lama Al Horani 66. Maha Abu Dayyeh 67. Maha Al Tamimi 68. Mahmoud Sh'qeir 69. Dr. Mamdouh Al Aker 70. Mamdoun Noufal 71. Mansour Abu Radwan 72. Marwan Jilani 73. Mazen Al Jarbawi 74. Dr. M'kheimer Abu Sa'ada 75. Mohammad Abu Sham'a 76. Mohammad Adel Al Masri 77. Mohammad Al Horani 78. Mohammad Al Masrouji 79. Mohammad Dahman 80. Muhannad Abdul Hamid 81. Mustafa Al Rantisi 82. Nabil Amr 83. Nabil Kutari 84. Nabil Qabalan 85. Dr. Nabil Qassis 86. Nabil Tarazi 87. Dr. Nader Said 88. Nadia Abu Nahleh 89. Na'ela Ayesh 90. Nafez Ghneim 91. Naim Nasser 92. Nassar Nassar 93. Nasser Al Shurafa 94. Nasser Aleiwah 95. Dr. Nasser Jab'r 96. Nawal Zaqout 97. Dr. Nazmi Al Ju'beh 98. Nibras Bseiso 99. Ni'meh Al Hilo 100. Omar Sha'ban 101. Qaddoura Fares 102. Qais Abdul Karim (Abu Laila) 103. Ra'ed Abu Al Sa'oud 104. Rafiq Abu Dhalfeh 105. Reem Abboushi 106. Rida Nattil 107. Dr. Riyad Za'anoun 108. Sa'ad Khurma 109. Sa'di Abu Abed 110. Sa'ed Abdul Hadi 111. Safi Safi 112. Saji Salameh 113. Sakher Bseiso 114. Salah Abdul Shafi 115. Dr. Salim Tamari 116. Sama'an Khouri 117. Samer Shihadeh 118. Dr. Sami Kilani 119. Sami Sa'idi 120. Dr. Samih Al Abed 121. Samih Khalil 122. Dr. Samir Abdallah 123. Samir Hleileh 124. Siham Al Barghouti 125. Subhiyeh Jum'a 126. Suheil Jad'oun 127. Talal Owkal 128. Tal'at Safadi 129. Dr. Taleb Awad 130. Tamer Issawi 131. Dr. Taysir Arouri 132. Taysir M'heisen 133. Terry Boullata 134. Tewfiq Abu Ghazaleh 135. Tewfiq Abu Khousa 136. Dr. Usama Farra 137. Wafa' Abdul Rahman 138. Walid Abu Baker 139. Walid Al Awad 140. Walid Atatrah 141. Dr. Walid Mustafa 142. Yasser Abed Rabbo 143. Yousef Abu Safiyyeh 144. Zahira Kamal 145. Dr. Zakaria Al Agha 146. Dr. Zaki Abdul Majid 147. Zeinab Al Ghanimi ©2000-2007 electronicIntifada.net unless otherwise noted. Content may represent personal view of author. This page was printed from the Electronic Intifada website at electronicIntifada.net. 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