More than 165,000 Palestinian governmental public servants initiated a series of partial and complete strikes starting this month expressing their protest for receiving only partial payments of their salaries for the past six-month period - following the establishment of the Palestinian government by Hamas. As a result, Palestinian services were partially or completely paralyzed. The strikes have increased tension, political polarization, and sufferings among all sectors of the Palestinian community.

We, at the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, and as part of our role in the Palestinian civil society, emphasize that the strike and the sufferings be converted into a positive constructive action for the benefit of the public interest, avoiding sliding into internal conflicts and contradictions. In this regard, we would like to stress on the following points:

1. It is the right of all Palestinian civil servants to receive their full salaries on a regular basis. It is also their democratic right to protest against not receiving their salaries in the forms that they see fit. These forms should be civilized, peaceful, and non-violent, as set by the law.

2. As the executive authority in charge of the administrative, security, and legal responsibilities, the Palestinian government, should provide salaries to Palestinian public sector employees. It is unacceptable to direct threats and accusations of disloyalty and collaboration with outside bodies towards those who went on strike. There should be serious and responsible negotiation with strikers to find suitable solution for the current salary crisis.

3. We reject politicization of the just demands of the strikers and exploiting the crisis for internal political and factional interests or as a mean of pressure against the Palestinian government.

4. The Palestinians, government and people, should unite in condemning the Israeli and international unjust sanctions imposed on the whole Palestinian community. Moreover, Palestinians should demand to break the sanctions and get back their seized money from Israel. They also have to call upon the international community to resume its political and financial support, as part of their obligations towards Palestinian people under the Israeli occupation.

5. We appeal to all parties involved in this crisis, including the government and civil servants unions to go into serious and responsible dialogues to find out a suitable solution for the crisis.

6. We also demand to halt incitement campaigns in order to defuse the increasing tension in Palestinian streets, which is already suffering enough misery as a result of the on-going siege, restrictions, and the Israeli aggression.

We believe that such responsible positions could contribute effectively in portraying a positive, democratic image that the Palestinian people deserve. We hope that this movement of strikes and protests will unite Palestinians and help them reach a constructive political and national agreement that solve the internal conflicts and frictions as well as decreasing the existing tension. We also hope that this agreement will send a strong message to the international community to intervene and resume their responsibilities and obligations towards the Palestinian community.