President Mahmoud Abbas receives draft of the Palestinian State Interim Constitution

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas/ UN Photo/Loey Felipe

JAKARTA - President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday has accepted the draft Interim Constitution of the State of Palestine.

The draft was presented during a meeting with the drafting committee headed by Muhammad al-Hajj Qasim and attended by its members.

The President praised the committee members for their significant efforts in drafting the interim constitution of the State of Palestine, which paves the way for a transition from the current authority to a state that has been fully recognized by more than 160 countries.

As reported by ANTTARA from WAFA, Thursday, February 5, President Abbas stated that this year is a year of democracy, because the date of the Palestinian National Council elections - both at home and abroad - has been set, as has the schedule for the eighth Fatah conference and the regional elections in April.

The President emphasized the constitutional articles, especially those related to rights and freedoms, protect the rights of citizens and ensure effective representation for women and youth, reflecting their status in Palestinian society.

Muhammad al-Hajj Qasim noted that the committee, which was formed based on a presidential decree, immediately took office after being appointed by the president.

The committee's duties, which lasted about seven months in a row, included 70 meetings where the committee consulted with various civil society organizations and related stakeholders.

The committee chairman stated that the draft constitution preserves political pluralism and the separation of powers, while empowering the Parliament to carry out oversight and legislative functions.

President Abbas instructed that a copy of the draft interim constitution of the State of Palestine be submitted to the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) for review, and then published for public comment.

The decision on the procedures, mechanisms, and the period of publication will be informed later.