Constitution

1.1 Name:

The Palestinian Association for Martial Arts, established in 1989. The name was changed officially to the Palestinian Association for the Preservation of Heritage and Arts, which comprises karate, tai chi, hapkido, and kubudo. When shitoryu was introduced to Palestine, the Union Shito Ryu Palestine branched from the association.

 1.2 Mission:

The union strives to spread the moral principles and technical aspects of martial arts as a means of nurturing and honing personality, especially among youngsters and students.

 1.3 Legal status:

The union is a non-profit, non-governmental association handled by elected officials that serve terms of four years. Elections are observed by the Ministry of Youth and Sport.

 1.4 Seat:

East Jerusalem, Palestine.

1.5 Official languages:

Arabic and English, in addition to Japanese as applied to the techniques of karate.

 1.6 Objectives:

a.      To provide for youth a safe place to develop, train and interact with others away from the threat of the streets.

b.     To train youngsters in the art of karate as a way of life, teaching them inner peace and calmness, self-control, and respect for others and everything living and inanimate.

c.      To create and maintain jovial relations among all the members of the union and its clubs and dojos.

d.     To cooperate with other martial arts schools and sport clubs and institutions to levitate sport in Palestine.

e.      To engage in extracurricular activities domestically and abroad in order to expand horizons and provide opportunities.

f.       To build international relations in order to achieve the desired international web of karate and increase cooperation with institutions abroad.

 1.7  Disputes and misinterpretation:

Any disputes regarding the definitions provided above will be handled by the executive committee of the union.

 2. Membership:

a.      Every karateka registered in the head club or affiliate clubs is entitled to membership in the union pending approval of application.

b.     Membership fee is 40 shekels ($10) annually.

c.      Members receive a union passport upon approval.

d.     The union reserves the right to suspend or sever any member; in such a case, the union must provide the grounds for suspension or severance.

e.      Should a member stop training or be suspended or severed, his file shall remain at the union under the number of registration (also the passport number) indefinitely. If the member returns, he will retain the old file and passport number.

a.      d. The membership of clubs and dojos requires application and show of merit and accomplishment in karate, regardless of style, if the intention is to turn solely to shitoryu. Applications are reviewed by the EC and must receive a majority of votes to be granted. The union is not obligated to explain the reason for rejection and reserves the right to suspend or terminate membership without notice but must furnish the grounds for suspension or termination.

 3.1 The organization:

a.      The union comprises the following organizational entities:

i)                   The president.

ii)                 The Executive Council.

iii)              Subcommittees assigned by the EC for specific tasks. These are usually temporary and are assigned by the president in coordination with the vice president and general secretary.

b.     The president of the union will serve as the president of the executive council.

c.      The executive Council comprises the president, vice president, general secretary, treasurer, and director of women's affairs. The authority and duties of each of these are explained in section 3.2.)

d.     EC elections will be held every four years and supervised by the Ministry of Youth and Sport. Persons not affiliated with the union at the sporting level may be allowed to run for posts pending unanimous approval of the president, vice president, and secretary general.

e.      There is no limit as to the number of terms an EC official may serve.

f.       Members of the council, including the president, may vote for candidates for positions other than the position for which they are applying.

g.      Instructors at affiliate dojos, presidents of affiliate clubs, assistant instructors recognized by the union, and official personnel recognized by the union may vote in elections as long as they adhere by the constitution and show proper standing and behavior. 

h.     The president of the EC may reprimand, suspend, or terminate any EC official on the grounds of criminal action, moral offenses regarding the religion or beliefs of any official or union member, sexual harassment, or any behavior considered detrimental to the union, its personnel and members, the art of karate, or sport in general.   

i.       Officials removed from the union for wrongdoing may run in elections four years after their termination if they provide proof of proper behavior over the four-year period. In this case, the reason for the termination shall not be considered by the voters. 

j.       The union shall not discriminate on basis of religion, color, gender, ethnicity, education, or political allegiance.

 3.2 The authority and duties of EC members:

Notes: all positions serve four-year terms, with no limit on the number of terms. There must be at least two women in the EC at all times.   

a.      The president: elected every four years for an indefinite number of terms and represents the union before third parties. The president has the final decision on all matters, administrational and technical.

b.     The vice presidents: the vice presidents serve as interim presidents should the president be absent or unable to carry out his duties. They are authorized to make decisions on behalf of the president after consulting with him, if possible. If consultation with the president is not possible, only decisions not affecting the structure or legal status of the union may be made and only after a vote by the other members of the EC.

c.      The secretary general: the general secretary is appointed by the president after consulting with his vice presidents. The general secretary is responsible for the secretariat work of the union, public relations, and coordination and contact for international events.

d.     Treasurer: the treasurer is responsible for the management and control of union assets, revenue and expenditures. All major decisions must be discussed with the president, vice presidents and secretary general.

e.      Secretary of women's affairs: this post must be occupied by a woman responsible for all issues concerning women, including the opening of new courses for women.

f.       Coordinator: assists the president, vice presidents and general secretary in organizing competitions, events and visits of incoming delegations and instructors.

g.      In addition to the above, the union benefits by the services of several, expert advisors in athletic, organizational and media aspects.   

4. Competitions and special events

a.      The union is the only party authorized to hold national or multi-club championships.

b.     Individual clubs may hold in-club championships with consent from the union.

c.      The union reserves the right to establish and define the conditions of eligibility of participants in championships and the conditions of the championship.

d.     Championships must abide by the rules set forth by the union and must meet union standards as specified at the given time.

e.      The union shall show flexibility in granting permission to hold club championships if conditions so necessitate.

f.       All cups, plaques, medals and awards granted in championships must bear the name and logo of the union.

g.      Invitations to local and international instructors will be forwarded by the main office unless the president allows a club to send an invitation individually. Such invitations must bear the name and the logo of the union.

h.     All functions and special events, other than championships, connected with the union and its work must receive consent from the union head office.

 5. Testing and grading:

a.      All student members in the union must follow the same curriculum and undergo the standardized testing procedure embraced by the union. The union employs the shitokai curriculum and grading system at present.

b.     Head instructors and assistant instructors are responsible for acquiring the proper curriculum and test standards from the head office.

c.      Tests will be administered and supervised by the president, assisted by instructors which he will choose according to geographical location and circumstances. In case the president cannot administer the tests, he may assign another head instructor to supervise the process. In such a case, the delegate instructor must present a report to the president and provide recommendations. The president may award new grades and certificates based on the report and recommendations of the delegate instructor or may request a repeat test provided he provides reasonable grounds for his request.

d.     Certificates awarded must be the official certificates of the union and must bear the signature of the president and the union seal.

e.      Head instructors are responsible for informing the head office of the names and ranks of students that stand in need of testing. The head instructors must forward photocopies of test applications to the head office.