Anti-establishment sentiment has just produced two shockwaves: Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. Millions used the polls to protest against their economic marginalisation and political alienation. Elites were firmly told: no more business-as-usual.
The Palestinian national movement is similarly on its deathbed, and the symptoms that are leading to its demise run parallel to events taking hold in the rest of the world. Palestinians feel marginalised by their broken political system, feuding political parties and lack of economic opportunities. They are frustrated by the Palestinian elite, who have led us to this point and sit disconnected from their people.
Palestine is different, of course. There is an occupation that oppresses a people and seeks to suppress their political participation; the diaspora is scattered, many living in refugee camps in wartorn countries; the economy and the government are dependent on international aid, and both are crippled whenever the aid stops flowing.
But alongside those external constraints, there is much to be done internally. It starts with the establishment. Reconciliation attempts between Fatah and Hamas have failed since 2007. Parliamentary elections haven’t been held since 2006, and presidential elections in over a decade. The Palestinian National Council (PNC), the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s (PLO) parliament-in-exile, has become antiquated in composition and defunct in operation, leaving the 7.3 million-strong Palestinian diaspora and refugees voiceless.
Over the next few months there are three chances to revive the Palestinian national movement to make it more inclusive, representative and legitimate. We have already failed at one. Municipal elections, to be held on 8 October, were postponed, and are now wrapped up in the most ambiguous of legal proceedings. The Palestinian public was under no illusions that the decision was nothing other than political jostling between Hamas and Fatah.
Municipal elections are the closest form of direct, democratic participation for people in Palestine and an opportunity to shape local governance. Abandoning them for the sake of partisan interest undermines the national interest. These elections must be held across all of Palestine, not just in Gaza, the West Bank or East Jerusalem, and must be seen as a first step towards reconciliation.
The second opportunity is upon us with the seventh Fatah conference, which began on Tuesday. During the conference, the party will hold elections for its leadership positions.
Fatah has long been the backbone of the Palestinian national movement. Today it is plagued by infighting between its various camps, often headlined by the feud between President Mahmoud Abbas and the former leader Mohammad Dahlan. This infighting is crippling Palestinian politics and society. I
It is incumbent on Fatah to hold itself to a higher standard and live up to its responsibility as the leader of the national movement. It must take this as a serious opportunity to elect fresh young faces and address its issues – not as an opportunity to further polarise the party and consolidate power. The final opportunity is the rumoured Palestine National Council meeting, which could be held before the year’s end.
The PNC as the parliament of the PLO was meant to give Palestinians everywhere a voice. Ever since the Palestinian Authority was established and the centre of Palestinian politics moved to Ramallah, Palestinian refugees and the diaspora have lost their means of representation. It is time for the PLO and the PNC to undergo overdue reform and finally hold elections. And this meeting is the time to do it.
The price the establishment has paid in Europe and America for marginalising many of their people has been high. It is time for the Palestinian establishment to heed its own people. Reform is needed, elections are needed, inclusion is needed, and a new generation is needed. It is time for the Palestinian national movement to invest in institutions and values rather than individuals. These three elections can be agents for badly needed change, but reinvigorating the national movement is going to take mobilisation among us Palestinians, on the inside and outside, demanding that business as usual is not enough.
This also falls to countries that have long had an interest in ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and which have contributed millions upon millions in aid. No other country has matched the US in time and resources committed to peace. Even more so, since its own election, the US must invest in and support the Palestinian political system, and demand that it becomes more inclusive and democratic.
While Israeli obstructionism remains the main barrier to meaningful peace in the region, it is vital that we in Palestine become better equipped to tackle it. This is the best way to do that, and will help us to push forward to self-determination and our own truly independent state.
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