Palestinian Democratic Union

Palestinian Democratic Union
الاتحاد الديمقراطي الفلسطيني
Leader Saleh Ra'fat
Founder Yasser Abd Rabbo[1]
Founded 1990
Split from Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Headquarters Palestine
Ideology Scientific socialism
Political position Left-wing[2]
National affiliation Palestine Liberation Organization,
Democratic Alliance List
Website
fida.blue.ps

The Palestinian Democratic Union (Arabic: الاتحاد الديمقراطي الفلسطيني‎‎ Al-Ittihad al-Dimuqrati al-Filastini, generally known as FIDA Arabic: فدا‎‎) is a small Palestinian political party active in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

History

FIDA emerged as a split from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP)[1] due to disputes in the early 1990s about the policies towards Jordan, the Oslo peace process and the First Intifada.[3][4] In September 1991, the party approved its political program. In April 1993, it adopted the name Palestinian Democratic Union – FIDA.[4]

Organisation

The youth wing of FIDA is known as Independence Youth Union (Arabic: اتحاد شباب الاستقلال Athad Shebab Alasetqelal); there are also workers' and women's groups. FIDA has no armed wing, in contrast to the DFLP and several other Palestinian organizations.

Beliefs and ideology

The slogan of FIDA is "freedom, independence, return, democracy and socialism". It presents itself as a progressive, secular and democratic socialist party, and espouses the Marxist vocabulary of "scientific socialism".

FIDA took a more moderate stance than the main DFLP (led by Naif Hawatmeh and based in Damascus, Syria) towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and has tried to establish itself as a left-wing democratic alternative in Palestinian politics. It advocates a two-state solution based on the borders of 1967 and with East Jerusalem as the capital of an independent Palestinian state. A prominent FIDA leader, Mamduh Nofal, in 2002 signed an appeal to stop suicide bombings.[5]

The party has held two National Conferences, the first in Jericho in 1995 and the second in 2000.

FIDA leadership

FIDA was founded by Yasser Abd Rabbo, a pro-peace moderate, who then represented the organization in the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee, where he worked as an advisor to Yassir Arafat.

In 2002, he resigned from the party after internal disputes. Women's rights activist Zahira Kamal had been chosen in an internal election to replace him as minister[6] in the government of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), but Abd Rabbo refused to step down, and instead left the party. He was then able to remain in the cabinet as an independent, with the backing of Arafat, but was replaced in FIDA by Saleh Ra'fat, the current Secretary-General. Zahira Kamal remains in FIDA, but outside of government. Other important FIDA leaders include Azmi ash-Shu'aybi and Mamduh Nofal.

Electoral participation

FIDA is well represented with 21 members in the Palestine National Council (PNC), the PLO's exile parliament. They were elected as DFLP delegates, or appointed to serve as delegates from various PLO branches, at the last PNC in 1988. Since then, no new elections have been held.

FIDA took part in the 1996 elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), and with Fatah backing managed to gain one seat, held by Azmi ash-Shu'aybi. Ash-Shu'aybi has been campaigning for greater parliamentary control of the executive authority and greater transparency in the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

In the January 2006 PLC elections, FIDA ran its candidates on the al-Badeel (Alternative) slate together with the DFLP and the Palestinian People's Party (PPP).[7] It received 2.8% of the popular vote and won two of the Council's 132 seats.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Palestinian National Authority: The PA Ministerial Cabinet List: April 2003 – October 2003. Jerusalem Media and Communications Center. Archived on 27 September 2007.
  2. ↑ http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/ps%7Dfida.html
  3. ↑ Abd Rabbo, Yasir, pp. 6-7. Michael R. Fischbach, Encyclopedia of the Palestinians. Infobase Publishing, 2005
  4. 1 2 Introduction. Palestinian Democratic Union. Archived on 31 July 2007
  5. ↑ http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=22&ItemID=2030
  6. ↑ http://google.com/search?q=cache:8VvqUZc2BIIJ:www.norad.no/default.asp%3FFILE%3Ditems/2410/25/Palestinianwomenandreform%2520(2)%2520(2).rtf+fida+resigned+rabbo+&hl=sv
  7. ↑ http://www.dflp-palestine.org/english/news_&_reports/al-badil-list-kicks.htm
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