Hamdallah’s political opportunism is contemptuous of the people of Palestine

Salary cuts imposed by the Palestinian Authority upon civil servants in Gaza have been attributed to a financial crisis experienced by the internationally-recognised representative body. While the PA was swift in placing blame upon Hamas for the cuts, employees have united in protest against the Ramallah-based authority — controlled by Fatah — and demanded a reversal of the decision which has, to the surprise of nobody with an eye on the situation, only affected workers in the besieged enclave. Such opportunism reflects contempt for a substantial percentage of the people of Palestine.

This differentiation between employees in the Gaza Strip and those in the occupied West Bank has been highlighted by various political factions. The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine declared the move to be unacceptable in light of the difficult conditions experienced by the whole Palestinian population in Gaza. Furthermore, Gaza-based leaders who were quoted by Ma’an news agency declared the measure to be a form of discrimination which is expected to lead to an “increase in the [internal political] disagreement and eventually segregate Gaza from the rest of the Palestinian territory.”

Not surprisingly, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah availed himself of the opportunity to demand, once again, that Hamas should hand over control of Gaza to the PA. The demand has been made intermittently since Operation Protective Edge in 2014 and was one of the common aims of the Obama administration and PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

Read: Thousands gather in Gaza as protests continue against PA salary cuts

Hamdallah also insisted that the PA is “the only representative of the Palestinian people.” His statement reflects the perpetual negation of the 2006 elections in which Hamas emerged as the clear victor — the movement has more right to claim legitimacy than Abbas, whose term of office actually expired in 2009 — as well as the PA’s incessant efforts to disrupt all efforts to establish structured governance and, as a result, enforce further differentiation between Palestinians in Gaza and their compatriots in the occupied West Bank.

Given the PA’s deficiencies; its dependence upon Israel and the international community; its role as a collaborator with the occupation; and the increasing scepticism about their “representatives” displayed by Palestinians, Hamdallah’s insistence is meaningless. Nevertheless, it provides space for manipulation at a local and international level. While the PA continues to masquerade in its dictated and subservient role, the fragmentation of the population is set to continue, the ramifications of which will be felt primarily in Gaza. It is, therefore, pertinent to note that the only Western-recognised Palestinian representation is a vehicle through which the destruction of the Palestinian body politic is being facilitated.

Read: Dahlan attacks Abbas over Gaza salary cuts

Gaza’s complexities, exacerbated by the illegal Israeli-led blockade, will temporarily elicit even more scrutiny, despite the fact that action to alleviate the ramifications of the enclave being targeted by both the PA and Israel will be less than negligible. However, it is equally important to note that the deprivation faced by Palestinians in Gaza will be replicated in the occupied West Bank through different measures, such as PA concessions, when it comes to Israel’s colonial expansion. Hamdallah’s claim is only factual as far as international impositions allow; it does not mean that the PA derives any legitimacy from the Palestinian population.

It is only the hypocrisy of the determinant factors applied to the sectors of the occupied Palestinian territories that allow the PA to have the convenience of asserting authority while claiming representation. If the latter had to be based upon the Palestinian people’s determination and aspirations, the body chosen consequently would stand in stark contrast to the current PA, not least because the Palestinians have not relinquished their right to history, legitimate rights and their own narrative. The Ramallah-centric Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, continues to abandon territory, refugees’ rights and political prisoners, to the delight of its Israeli and Western backers.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.