The Palestinian folks proceed to withstand Israel’s oppressive and expansionist insurance policies and actions throughout historic Palestine, from Jerusalem and the West Financial institution, to the Negev and Gaza. However, regrettably, their battle for rights, freedoms and democracy will not be solely towards Israel. They’re additionally in a battle towards their very own incompetent and illegitimate leaders who’re desperately clinging to energy.
Certainly, 84-year-old Mahmoud Abbas was elected because the President of the Palestinian Nationwide Authority (PNA) for a four-year time period some 17 years in the past, however he’s nonetheless in workplace. Regardless of not dealing with the poll field since January 2005, he has managed to pay attention nearly all political energy in Palestine in his fingers. At this time, he’s not solely the President of the PNA and thus the State of Palestine, but in addition the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) – the internationally recognised consultant of Palestinians the world over – and the Fatah Celebration.
The Palestinian folks have lengthy been pissed off with the president’s refusal to carry elections and have thought-about his management illegitimate. In January 2021, in response to rising criticism and requires his resignation, Abbas introduced elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (the legislature of the PNA which Abbas dissolved in 2018), the presidency of the PNA, and the Palestine Nationwide Council (PNC, the legislative physique of the PLO). However only a few months later, in April 2021, he as soon as once more cancelled all three elections, regardless of greater than 90 p.c of eligible voters within the occupied territories already having registered to train their democratic proper.
Abbas tried accountable the cancellation on Israel’s refusal to permit elections in occupied East Jerusalem. The true motive, nonetheless, was clear to most Palestinians: divisions inside Abbas’s Fatah social gathering. Certainly, three completely different Legislative Council lists had emerged from throughout the social gathering, and thus there was no assure that both faction might win a free and honest election.
Abbas’ U-turn on elections deepened the Palestinian folks’s anger and frustration together with his management. The homicide of outspoken PNA critic and Legislative Council candidate Nizar Banat by Palestinian safety forces in June 2021, and excessive use of drive towards protesters calling for accountability for these accountable, in the meantime, offered additional proof for the illegitimate management’s rising authoritarian tendencies.
Past its refusal to carry elections and obvious human rights violations, the management in Ramallah additionally attracted the ire of the Palestinian folks for a collection of extremely unpopular insurance policies. Certainly, Abbas insists on following insurance policies that the Palestinian plenty overwhelmingly reject, resembling participating in safety coordination with Israel and holding pleasant face-to-face conferences with Israeli officers resembling Defence Minister Benny Gantz – a conflict prison who personally led Israel’s lethal assault on Gaza in 2014.
The requires Abbas’s resignation are getting louder by the day. However Palestinian calls for for a professional, inclusive and democratic management that may stand as much as Israel are nonetheless being ignored by these in positions of energy in Ramallah.
At this time, Abbas will not be solely refusing to retire and pave the way in which for a extra succesful chief who has the help of the Palestinian folks to take his place, however he additionally seems to be plotting to arrange a succession plan that may make sure the continuation of this undemocratic and unpopular regime after his demise.
He has referred to as a gathering of the Palestinian Central Council (PCC, an middleman physique between the PNC and the PLO Government Committee) on February 6 and seven to attain this purpose. The assembly’s agenda, which has not been made public however solely despatched to invitees, consists of 12 gadgets. Whereas most of the gadgets seem to deal with rapid challenges dealing with the Palestinian folks, there are just a few which might be clear makes an attempt to tacitly additional the Abbas management’s political ambitions.
The agenda gadgets referring to the filling of PLO Government Committee positions and the place of the Speaker of the PNC are a selected trigger for critical concern.
The vacancies within the PLO Government Committee arose from the demise of the earlier Basic Secretary, Saeb Erekat, and the resignation of Hanan Ashrawi in protest on the PNA’s continued safety coordination with Israel. The emptiness of the PNC Speaker, in the meantime, arose from Saleem Zanoon’s current determination to retire.
These positions must be stuffed by the PNC. However at its final assembly in Ramallah in 2018, the PNC delegated its powers to the PCC between its assembly. The PCC initially had merely a monitoring function and was by no means designed to fill vital govt and legislative positions within the Palestinian management. However with this sleight of hand, the PCC has been given the authority to singlehandedly appoint the speaker to a parliament representing some 14 million Palestinians all over the world, in addition to two members to the very best govt physique of the PLO. And it’s wanting all however sure that, if the assembly of the PCC goes forward, all three appointees shall be from the very best echelons of Abbas’s Fatah Celebration.
Certainly, at its current assembly, the Fatah Central Council agreed to appoint Hussein Al Sheikh, head of the PNA’s Basic Authority of Civil Affairs and member of the Fatah Central Committee, to fill Erekat’s place on the Government Committee. Al Sheikh is a part of Abbas’s internal circle. He was in attendance on the current controversial Abbas-Gantz assembly and has shut relationships with many different Israeli officers. It’s extremely suspected that he’s being groomed to inherit Abbas’s varied roles and emerge as the following Palestinian chief. The Fatah Central Council additionally nominated the previous speaker of the now-dissolved Palestine Legislative Council and Fatah heavyweight Rawhi Fattuh for the place of Speaker of the PNC.
There may be, subsequently, rising concern over and opposition to the holding of a PCC assembly within the coming week. Whereas a number of the agenda gadgets promise some vital discussions on pressing issues confronted by the PLO’s main establishments, Palestinians don’t anticipate any concrete motion plan that may assist the determined state of affairs of the nation to emerge from the assembly. Moreover, there’s a lot motive to withstand Abbas and the Fatah management’s makes an attempt to additional consolidate energy by illegitimate appointments to the PLO Government Council and the PNC.
In need of an rebellion, which can nonetheless occur because the residing circumstances and political freedoms of Palestinians proceed to deteriorate quickly, the one means for the folks to loosen the present management’s grip on their main establishments is to withstand ploys just like the upcoming PCC assembly.
Because of this the Nationwide Marketing campaign for Rebuilding the PLO and different teams, together with the Individuals’s Alliance for Change, got here collectively to oppose the assembly. Different teams and influential figures ought to be a part of us on this combat and assist us improve the stress on the Abbas management to step apart. To realize this, we have to proceed to work collectively as Palestinians in historic Palestine and the diaspora, past the PCC assembly.
If we are able to cease this assembly from going forward, or at the least elevate extra consciousness about why a few of its agenda gadgets are dangerous to the Palestinian trigger and democracy, we are able to pave the way in which for actual, significant change.
This implies going again to the mom organisation, the PLO, and rebuilding it to be match for function within the twenty first century. Reasonably than permitting the PCC to make illegitimate and politically motivated appointments, we should always instantly maintain a worldwide PNC election, and permit this new legislative to elect a brand new Government Committee made up of the following technology of Palestinian leaders who can stand as much as the occupiers and ship the folks their rights. There are undoubtedly difficulties in holding these elections amongst all eligible voters, however we can’t proceed to permit the present management to cover behind this excuse any longer.
Palestine is prepared for change. Palestine is prepared for democracy, and we should always ship the message to the present management that it’s excessive time for them to step apart.
The views expressed on this article are the creator’s personal and don’t essentially replicate Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.