النشاط الدولي لحركة الشبيبة الفتحاوية كجزء من الدبلوماسية العامة الفلسطينية 2017- 2006 | The International Activisn of Fateh Youth Movement as Part of the Palestinian Public Diplomacy (2006-2016(

This thesis aims at highlighting the role of Palestinian youth in Palestinian public diplomacy by focusing on Fatah Youth Movement as a model for analysis and study. The researcher adopts both the historical methods to examine this role during the period of 2006-2017 The study is divided into five chapters. The first chapter discusses the general framework of the study, as it reviews its objectives and the most prominent questions that are seeking scientific answers. In addition, it also discuss the hypotheses, methodology, restrictions, as well as the structure of the study . Chapter Two explores the Theorotical framework of the study by reviewing its basic concepts, such as Diplomacy, Public Diplomacy, International Relations and Civil Society. It also reviews the history and the emergence of Fatah Youth Movement, going through the most influential events in its establishment and work . Subsequently, the third and fourth chapters of the study review the role of the Palestinian youth in Public Diplomacy throughout history by looking upon the experience of the General Union of Palestinian Students (GUPS) in this area, and the experience of FYM after that. The researcher starts from the beginnings of FYM international work including its work in the regional and international organizations that FYM is enrolled to. The two chapters tackle the bilateral relations of FYM within these organizations, and the most relative resolutions presented by FYM and adopted at international level. Finally FYM International Activitsm Strategy is also covered here, by explaining its tools and its positions on various international and regional issues. Chapter Five concludes the study by assessing and testing the results of the study's hypotheses. The study led to a number of conclusions and recommendations; The most important of which is that FYM contributed to the Palestinian public diplomacy within social democratic youth political parties, and labor bodies. However, it only had a very limited role when it comes to liberal and conservative organizations. This is due to the Fateh Youth Movement’s inheritance of the social Democratic ideology from its mother party, the Palestinian National Libertaion Organization (Fateh). It is apparent that FYM’s International policy, and its general activities in the field of Public Diplomacy have complemented of the mother party Fateh. Nevertheless, FYM was in some specific cases the steering wheel that asked its mother party to take lead positions, such as the position of withdrawing PLO’s recognition of the State of Israel. FYM also paid more attention than its mother parties to contributing and addressing global social and democratic issues such as democracy, Gender equality, and disarmament. Concerning FYM relations with other Political party, the study shows that FYM is still challenging to expand its relations with their Arabic counterparts beyond some limited Arab Social Democratic parties that were established after the 2011 Arab spring uprisings. However some of these parties have a very rare presence to affect the public opinion in their countries in present day. It is also worth mentioning that FYM International presence did not only bind to reactions to political issues, but was the pioneers, in organizing a number of international events. The study also presents a number of recommendations, most notably the need for FYM to open up to the youth parties from different intellectual orientations, as it is still a youth branch of a national liberation mother party. Moreover, more strengthened coordination and cooperation is crucial between Fatah Youth Movement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the embassies of the State of Palestine abroad, as well as “Fatah Commission for International Relations, Arab Relations and China”. This is vital in order to coordinate positions and invest various Palestinian expertise and knowledge within this sphere. A final recommendation of this study addresses the Fateh Commission for international relations, and recommends it to take in a number of FYM members who are active in the international issue, to lead senior positions at the mother party.