Media coverage
Sawa News Agency · 2023-06-05
PalThink for Strategic Studies held a dialogue session with the Head of the Representative Office of the Federal Republic of Germany to Palestine, Oliver Owcza, as part of the activities of the “PalThink Academy for Democracy and Human Rights – Phase II,” funded by the German Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, to raise young people’s awareness of diplomatic work. Owcza discussed Germany’s support for Palestinians through development cooperation, support for UNRWA and civil society, his country’s position in favor of a two-state solution, and the obstacles hindering peace and negotiations, while also calling for strong Palestinian representation and elections. The session included interventions from academy youth on education, academic exchange, and vocational training in Germany, as well as settlement expansion, occupation, the future of the conflict, and the continuation of German support.
PalThink for Strategic Studies held a dialogue session with the Head of the Representative Office of the Federal Republic of Germany to Palestine, Oliver Owcza, as part of the activities of the “PalThink Academy for Democracy and Human Rights – Phase II,” funded by the German Institute for Foreign…
PalThink for Strategic Studies held a dialogue meeting on Sunday with the Head of the Representative Office of the Federal Republic of Germany to Palestine, Oliver Owcza, with the aim of raising the awareness of the youth academy members, as part of the activities and events of the project “PalThink Academy for Democracy and Human Rights – Phase II,” funded by the German Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations.
The meeting was opened by PalThink Director Omar Shaban, who welcomed the attendees and the guest speaker. He added that providing young people with the opportunity to meet important diplomatic figures is one of the activities that distinguishes PalThink, and through which it seeks to raise young people’s awareness of diplomatic work and strengthen their self-confidence.
For his part, Owcza said that he is always happy to meet young people in Gaza, describing their perseverance in work and study despite all the challenges and difficulties as something impressive that inspires positive energy.
He spoke about the diplomatic work carried out by the German Representative Office in the Palestinian territories and about the role his country plays in supporting the Palestinians and working for peace. He noted that work in the Gaza Strip is very complex because it is connected to one of the longest conflicts in the world.
He also spoke about German development cooperation programs for the benefit of the Palestinians, such as water projects, support for municipalities, and strengthening the capacities of municipal councils, in addition to support for UNRWA, relief aid, and strengthening civil society. He said that Germany is the largest supporter of the Palestinians after the cessation of U.S. funding, with German funding for UNRWA alone estimated at 120–150 million euros annually.
As for the future of the conflict, Owcza said that Germany wants a two-state solution through peace, negotiation, and agreement between the parties. He said that Germany has relations with both sides and faces major challenges in working for peace.
He said that what makes matters more difficult at the present time is that the current Israeli government claims ownership of all the land between the river and the sea, there is no serious action against settler violence, and there are sanctions on the Palestinian economy, all of which impede negotiations.
Owcza said that Germany wants to see the unification of the Palestinian leadership and that there must be strong and genuine representation for the Palestinians, noting that there have been no elections since 2006. He pointed out that the initiative on elections should come from the Palestinian Authority in order to neutralize suspicions that political calculations are preventing the holding of elections. He said that elections are a right of the people and should not merely be a decision in the hands of the Authority.
Owcza said that he is aware of the reality of the occupation in Palestine and that he works to inform Germans about this reality, but he noted that Germany must also take Israel’s security into consideration at the same time for historical reasons and domestic political reasons, and that no one can impose a solution; rather, the solution must come from within.
He said that Germany is interested in vocational training, which is a focus of its development cooperation, and he called on young people to apply for the opportunities offered by Germany.
Regarding the continuation of support, Owcza said that Germany is trying to maintain the same level of support provided to the Palestinians at a time when international support in general is declining, and he called on Arab countries to increase the support provided to the Palestinians.
The session included deep dialogue and interventions from the academy’s youth. The young participants expressed their appreciation for the efforts Germany is making in their country, and their interventions addressed multiple topics, such as opportunities for education, academic exchange, and vocational training in Germany, particularly in the fields of development and political science. Some of them asked about Germany’s position on settlement activity and the occupation, Germany’s vision for the future of the conflict, the security of the Palestinians, negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, and the continuation of German support for the Palestinians.
Text © Sawa News Agency — archived here with attribution to the source. — Machine translation for archival reference. — Original source