Some claim that the last set of Palestinian elections (2006) was the reason for the resultant political division; this is not true. The elections process is just a means by which we choose our representatives. A clear logical explanation for the negative outcomes and tragic events after 2006 lies in the way that Palestinians dealt with the results of the elections and their continued rejection of the will of people and their electoral choice. This eventually resulted in violence and deaths between the winners and losers and then to the ongoing political schism.
Today, in 2015, we can suppose that if both of the main factions still haven’t learnt lessons from the past, the same scenario will occur. However, few appear to have noticed that political life in Palestine has witnessed considerable positive changes. Even the attitudes of the regional and international powers have become more flexible towards the supposedly “terrorist factions” according to the US and some western European governments.
New Palestinian elections will garner huge attention and considerable regional and international supervision. Ultimately, this will ensure high levels of transparency.
Nevertheless, the situation in Palestine is very different to what it was in 2006; everything in Gaza, for example, has become increasingly worse. It is suffering from a lack of electricity; has a huge number of unemployed graduates; has a higher crime rate due to higher levels of hunger and poverty; and about 4,000 employees of the elected Hamas-led government have not received any salaries for more than a year.
After three brutal Israeli wars against the Gaza Strip (2008-2009, 2012 and 2014), the West, some Israeli intellectuals and even some senior officials in the security and military field are convinced that the siege of the territory is not the proper way to deal with the Palestinians. There is recognition that diplomatic and peaceful approaches are needed.
Indeed, despite 8 years of the illegal and inhumane siege, the Israelis have still not managed to get rid of Hamas and the other resistance movements. On the contrary, more and more people think that resistance movements have the right to defend Gaza and its largely civilian population. In fact, resistance in Gaza has become a symbol of the legitimacy of native people to resist aggressors.
The unprecedented and increasing European empathy with Gaza due to the Israeli offensives has re-shaped public opinion. This has been helped by growing awareness about the situation raised by the humanitarian and relief envoys visiting Gaza and seeing for themselves the destruction wrought by Israel’s military might, as well as the support for the State of Palestine from various European parliaments and parliamentarians, and Latin American governments.
The Gulf States have also started to reduce the isolation of certain movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, and open new channels of communication with Hamas, as evidenced by the visit of Khaled Meshaal to Riyadh a couple of weeks ago. Undoubtedly, these steps were also a result of the threat from ISIS and the Shia rebel groups in the region, which threaten Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council member states.
It is also fair to say that Israel has lost some of its international legitimacy and credibility over the past 8 years. Many Western countries have limited their once explicit and unconditional support due to the growing call for boycotts, divestment and sanctions by the BDS movement in response to Israel’s aggression and ongoing colonial settlement of Palestinian land.
As such, holding elections is one way to overcome most of the crises gripping the Palestinian national project and it is, perhaps, an opportunity to reunite the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Even the factions have realised that no one group can defeat the other, recognising that Fatah and Hamas are, for example, related, with each needing the other to survive.
What is required from President Mahmoud Abbas, therefore, is an election decree without any further delay through waiting for the approval of any particular faction. Constitutionally and legally no such consent is required; the power to call for an election falls within the powers of the president. His current status with the West and legitimacy in the international community should ensure that there will be no objections to the proposed solutions for most of the knotty issues related to the Gaza Strip.
Of course, in order for the elections to be successful, all parties must agree to abide by the results. This should ensure that the process will be inclusive of all parties in the Palestinian political arena and produce a smooth handover of power to the new government.
The writer is a lecturer and holds a PhD in International Relations from Cairo University. Fahmy_sh@hotmail.com
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.