Israeli and Palestinian authorities restrict the rights of Palestinians to free assembly, expression, and association. But only one governing body tried to shut down a recent conference aimed at reforming and reinvigorating the Palestinian national movement, including calling for elections: the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank.
On November 5, Palestinian activists held a conference called “14 Million: Palestinian Popular Conference,” which Palestinians from across Palestine, Israel, and the diaspora joined in different cities and connected via Zoom.
One of the activists involved in organizing the Popular Conference, who requested anonymity, told Human Rights Watch that organizers brought together Palestinians across geographic lines around one core demand: democratization of the Palestinian political system.
Palestinian Authority Muzzles Call for Reform, Elections | Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)
