Gaza, 23/3/2015 --- a Swiss delegation discussed the recent efforts of Switzerland with regard to the issue of the employees. The meeting to which all factions had been invited was attended by Jamil Mizher (PFLP), Saleh Nasser (DFLP), Faisal Abu Shahlah (Fatah), Khaled Al-Batsh (PIJ) and Ismael Radwan (Hamas).
The Swiss delegation included Paul Garnier, Head of the Representative Office of Switzerland in Ramallah and Roland Steininger, Head of Peace Policy Section Middle East in the ministry in Bern.
Switzerland has recently made constructive proposals with regard to the consolidation of the civil service in Gaza and has facilitated the elaboration of a roadmap that has become known as the “Swiss document”.
Roland Steininger stated that the document was the result of a consultation process between the Palestinian parties: “It is a Palestinian document – not a Swiss document.
The roadmap has been developed in close consultation with the Prime Minister’s Office of the National Consensus Government and all concerned Palestinian parties.
It was consolidated with UNDP and the World Bank and has been endorsed by the European Union, Norway, the United Kingdom, the US and UNSCO”.
Recently, President Abbas and the political leadership of Hamas have publicly stated that they saw the roadmap as the foundation to solve the issue of the civil employees in Gaza.
During the meeting with the factions, Representative Paul Garnier expressed concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza and stated: “It is important that the employees in Gaza see tangible and significant progress on the ground.
The parties need to agree on immediate measures that would initiate the implementation of the consolidation process”.
The roadmap document stipulates that all employees, regardless whether they were hired before or after 2007, will be treated equally during the consolidation process.
The Swiss delegation finally stressed that Switzerland will intensify its efforts towards advancing Palestinian national reconciliation under the aegis of the National Consensus Government.
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