Rather Than Hold Elections, PA And Hamas Choose Totalitarianism

Palestinians: Marching Backwards as Israel Prepares for Elections

• Instead of marching Palestinians towards democracy, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas have chosen the model of totalitarianism as a way of governing their people. The pro-Abbas demonstrations organized by Fatah in the West Bank are reminiscent of dictatorships in the Arab world that send their loyalists to the streets to voice support for the ruler. The Hamas-sponsored anti-Abbas demonstrations in the Gaza Strip will not solve any of the crises facing the Palestinians there. These protests are Hamas's way of distracting attention from its failure to improve the living conditions of the people living under its repressive regime.
  
  
• The only way for the Palestinians to move forward is by protesting against their failed leaders in the PA and Hamas. Many Palestinians, however, are afraid to speak out against their rulers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Why would any Palestinian speak out against Abbas when the PA arrests and harasses those who even dare to post critical remarks on Facebook? Why would any Palestinian in the Gaza Strip criticize Hamas when he or she knows that this would endanger their lives?
  
  
• On April 9, Israelis will again celebrate democracy by voting in a free and democratic election. The Palestinians, meanwhile, will mark another year of dictatorship and failed leadership, and will continue to dream about heading to any ballot box at all.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Israelis are scheduled to head to the ballot boxes on April 9 to vote for a new parliament (Knesset). This will be the fifth general election in Israel since 2006.

The Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, on the other hand, have, since 2006, failed to hold a single election for their parliament, known as the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).

Since its inception in 1994, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has held only two legislative elections: the first in 1996 and the second in 2006. The PLC is elected for four years only, but political rivalries among Palestinian factions have blocked any agreement on holding the vote on time.

What is mainly blocking the Palestinians from holding presidential and parliamentary elections is the continued dispute between Abbas's Fatah faction and Hamas. ّّIt does not appear that the falling-out/disagreement has run its course. Repeated attempts in the past 13 years by several Arab countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to reach "reconciliation agreements" between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have thus far fallen flat.

In recent weeks, the rivalry between Fatah and Hamas has intensified to a point where they have begun waging street- and online campaigns to discredit each other.

Let the world take note: the two-state solution has been realized in the Middle East. The Palestinians have ended up with two separate mini-states of their own. These mini-states have been at war with each other since 2007. The leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas cannot agree on anything, not even on daylight savings time. If the PA says that daylight savings time ends on a specific day, Hamas rejects the decision and chooses another day, creating two different time zones for the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

For now, it appears that neither the Palestinian Authority nor Hamas is interested in holding presidential and legislative elections. The two parties feel comfortable with the status quo; the PA and Abbas are the unchallenged rulers of parts of the West Bank and they see no reason why they should risk holding an election that could result in a Hamas victory. Hamas, for its part, is comfortable with its exclusive control of the two million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip and sees no reason why it should allow Palestinians to practice their right to elect new leaders.

Instead of marching Palestinians towards democracy, the PA and Hamas have chosen the model of totalitarianism as a way of governing their people.