DFLP calls for ‘futile’ negotiations with Israel to be abandoned

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) has called for an end to what it describes as the “futile” negotiations with Israel. The group said that there is a need to find “an alternative political strategy that reflects the Palestinian Central Council’s decisions.” The council is part of the Palestine Liberation Organisation; its decisions are normally binding on the Palestinian Authority.

“A Palestinian political strategy should combine the internationalisation of the Palestinian cause and the adoption of a comprehensive popular resistance plan,” said the DFLP. It added that the Palestinians’ internal political split must also be brought to an end. National unity, it stressed, will allow the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip to be addressed as well as the formation of a truly representative government.

The movement described the Palestinian Central Council’s 27th session held in March as very important, not least because it ignored the negotiating process and provided answers to a series of disputed issues. “These included the negotiation process, joining international treaties, activating popular resistance and stopping security coordination with the Israeli occupation,” a DFLP report claimed.

The report said that developing an alternative national strategic plan requires the restoration of Palestinian unity and enhancement of the Palestinian people’s resilience. The latter needs an alternative economic and social policy to be implemented which addresses the widening gap between the Palestinian Authority and the people. “Human rights, political rights and trade union rights must all be respected,” the DFLP report concluded.