Speakers Address Gap from Inactive Palestinian Legislative Council

The Public Administration Department at the Birzeit University Faculty of Law and Public Administration held on January 15, 2014 a seminar entitled "The absence of the Palestinian Legislative Council: challenges and opportunities." The seminar engaged the problematic impact of the absence of the parliament on politics and law in society.

Keynote speakers at the seminar were Legislative Council Member Mustafa Barghouti, researcher and legal adviser Bilal Barghouti and the parliament’s Assistant Secretary General Nashat Qaryouti.

The speakers addressed three main issues: is the Palestinian parliament legitimate and to what extent?, the legitimacy of the advisory workgroups that were recently formed to revitalize the Legislative Council’s work and the legality of the “power of attorney” given by West Bank Legislative Council members to their Gazan counterparts.

The discussion was followed by questions and comments from the audience, among them the observation that Israel is taking advantage of the parliament’s absence. Others noted that the status quo is having a dangerous impact on future Palestinian generations. Audience members called on the government to hold legislative elections to prevent Israel’s exploitation of the situation.