Election 97
Leaflet

[begins]

Since the last events of September regarding the opening of the Hazmonian tunnel underneath the Al Aqsa Mosque, we, the Progressive Democratic Student Pole, have been trying to establish a new political form of address which is based on an objective understanding of reality.

What grieves us most is the large number of martyrs who have sacrificed their lives defending liberty and freedom, hoping to achieve a small homeland where they can find dignity, liberty, and bread. We have been trying to safeguard the students of Birzeit University from becoming victims of a five member meeting in Washington and supporters of the absurd position of the Palestinian negotiators, which has led us to this state of siege and hopelessness.

When the Intifada of the land exploded in relation to the Abu Ghnaim Mountain crisis, we clarified from the beginning that any decisions about steps to be taken by Birzeit University [students] should originate and remain within the University community, independent of any outside forces, whenever action was deemed necessary. Based on these issues and the leaflets which were distributed at the time, we prepared a detailed program of protest events to which the Student Youth Movement agreed upon and the Islamic Bloc opposed, for their own individual reasons.

After implementing the first step of the program, which consisted of demonstrations at the checkpoints of Ramallah, we agreed that the next step was to be a sit-in in front of the Ramallah District Office, protesting political detention and demanding the release of all political detainees as a step towards the implementation of national unity in confronting the occupation and its policies. After the announcement of this step and the suspension of University classes for the day, the Student Youth Movement [Note: Shabiba, youth wing of Arafat's Fatah faction] pulled out of the protest. The Progressive Democratic Student Pole then unanimously reaffirmed their commitment to the implementation of this second step. We began the demonstration and we transmitted our message to the Palestinian Authority in a democratic manner and then moved to the Ma’lufieh checkpoint, where we were shocked by the way in which the Palestinian Authority treated us by beating us with clubs. However, since we were careful not to let the situation get out of hand, we did not allow ourselves to react in the same manner in which we were treated.

The other dark side of the story starts with the beginning of the aforementioned events. As activists in the Progressive Democratic Student’s Pole, we became targets and were exposed to various forms of harassment. The day before the demonstrations began, the house that we were in was raided and searched by several Palestinian security forces. Even at this very moment, as we write this leaflet, we are being exposed to an intensive and continuous monitoring of our movements at the places in which we are preparing our election campaign, to the ridiculous yet painful point where it has become necessary for us to seek out safer places to spend the night. This is not a new thing for us, but what is important to point out is that, while the executioner has changed face, the victim has remained the same. We have been receiving, on a daily basis, threats and comments that have affected us personally from both people [from within and without the Palestinian security forces] whom we know and people we don’t.

We, the Progressive Democratic Student Pole, are ready to face all those who deny us our right to fight and our right to live a normal life. For this reason, we emphasize the following:

1. If it is intended to terrorize us and push us out of the University community, we affirm that we will always be in the line of duty as we possess enough freedom to go out into the streets, and we will not allow ourselves to turn into bats that are afraid of daylight.
   
   
2. Any attempt to condemn anyone because of their political beliefs reflects the inability of the Palestinian Authority to accept political plurality.
   
   
3. The false accusation by the Palestinian security forces of Eyad Siraj (Director of the Gaza Mental Health Program) totally negates the credibility of all methods and judgments of these forces, and encourages division within Palestinian society.
   
   
4. The situation seriously requires the necessity to direct all energies towards facing the Israeli occupation and its settlement and closure policies. For this reason, the Palestinian Authority must spend their money for the sake of the development and building of projects which will address the occupation, instead of militarizing Palestinian society and employing Palestinians to oppress other Palestinians. This will never positively contribute to the Palestinian problem, but will in turn add to the wasted efforts focused on secondary conflicts, which we do not intend to discuss at this time.
   
   

In conclusion, we say no to oppression and the silencing of people, and we state that the national struggle requires all individual and collective efforts. A homeland can never be built by eliminating differences within society, but rather by strengthening the understanding of the other.

The Progressive Democratic Student Pole

[ends]

Translated by George Nimr Rishmawi and Hanan Elmasu