Youth Debate the Palestinian Elections

Palestinian youth are among the most politicized young people in the world. Their voting rates are astonishingly high; a 2008 survey found that 61 percent of Palestinian youth intended to vote, with another 15 percent stating that they might vote. However, political activity among Palestinian young people has been on the decline. While Palestinian political factions still have special youth organizations to court youth interest, their exploitation of young people’s efforts and failure to deliver any significant political change has led many youth to disillusionment, mistrust, and fear of political participation. In 2008, 70 percent of young Palestinians defined themselves as politically inactive or nearly politically inactive.

In an effort to increase youth participation in politics and provide a platform for youth to voice their views and directly engage the politicians who are supposed to represent their interests, Sharek Youth Forum has started the Sharek Debate initiative, whereby youth and relevant political actors will have the chance to meet in open, face-to-face exchange on a monthly basis.

In the first installment of this project in deliberate dialogue, held on Saturday, 31 October 2009 in the Youth Forum’s Ramallah center, opinions flew as scores of Palestinian youth seized on the rare opportunity to grill a panel of political representatives in a public conversation about ‘Youth and the Palestinian Elections.’ The panel assembled for the debate represented a broad spectrum of political, party and professional affiliations, including:  Dr. Rafeeq Abu Aiash, Professor of Constitutional Law at Al-Quds University in Abu Dis; Dr. Azeez Al-Dwaik, Head of the Palestinian Legislative Council; Mrs. Tahani Abu Daqa, Former Minister of Youth & Sports and Culture; Dr. Wasel Abu Yousef, Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Front; Mr. Mohammad Al-Madani, Head of the Election profile in Fateh movement; and Mrs. Khaleda Jarrar, member in the Palestinian Legislative Counsel.  

The dialogue session began with a series of critical questions for the panel participants delivered by the moderator, Bader Zamareh, the Youth Forum’s executive director. Muhammad al-Madani and Dr. Azeez al-Dwaik personified the current tensions between Fatah and Hamas. Al-Madani accused Hamas of disrespecting not only President Abbas, but also the institution of the Presidency and the Oslo Accords, asserting that the current election timetable is in accordance with the law and charging that Hamas’ victory was the only reason for their recognizing the previous elections.

Brandishing a pocket-size copy of the Palestinian Basic Law, Dr. Azeez al-Dwaik rejected the legitimacy of the current Abbas presidency and Fayyad government, denied Hamas’ fear of elections, and asserted that Hamas did not believe the environment in the West Bank  and the Gaza Strip to be conducive for the type of free elections held in 2006. He charged President Abbas with attempting to re-formulate the PLO according to his own vision and accused the Fayyad government being illegitimate, warning that the Basic Law, which requires a vote of confidence from the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) to endorse the Fayyad government, cannot be applied on a selective basis.  Declaring the opposite, Dr. Rafiq Abu Ayyash also alluded to the text of the Basic Law to defend the legitimacy of the Fayyad government’s formation, stating that the inability of the PLC to convene prevents of the exercise of its role and duty in approving the government.  

Focusing on the deeper roots of the current political problems, Khalida Jarrar pointed out that many divisions stretch beyond the political and into other aspects of Palestinian life. She concluded with optimism regarding the capacity of Palestinians, through dialogue, to resolve their internal disputes.  Dr. Wasel Abu Yussef echoed Jarrar’s call for an end to the divisions, stating that, “the occupation is the only beneficiary of their continuation.”

When given the floor to ask questions and speak their mind, the youth were candid in their criticisms and concerns. Numerous youth asked the politicians if their parties were indeed ready for elections, questioning the value of holding elections in light of the reigning internal divisions. One young Palestinian gave a searing indictment of political parties as the source of divisions, stating that “we as Palestinians are not divided. You, the ones who are supposed to represent us, you are the ones dividing us.”

Numerous youth voiced their fatigue with the repetition of the political status quo and exhaustion with blaming each other as separate entities, rather than focusing on national unity. Many cited the futility of the last free and fair democratic elections, and pointedly asked the politicians what would be different this time around. The youth demanded that politicians stop using youth as tools to serve their own political agendas and to show more respect, with one young man insisting, “Don’t bribe us. If you go to elections again, respect us this time. You cannot buy our votes by giving out free Jawwal [mobile phone] credit anymore. We have enough self-respect not to accept your bribes.”

At the most basic level, youth concern over the upcoming election can be summarized in one simple question: What are we voting for? If elections do indeed convene in January, will the Palestinian people be going to the polls to cast a vote for a sovereign, accountable authority capable of exercising its obligations and duties to the people who elect them? While the occupation continues, the answer to that question is no. So youth are right to wonder, then, what they and society in general can do to bring purpose back to political exercise.

From Sharek’s perspective, a change in Palestinian society is required before elections can yield anything but futile results. An election held in the current state of internal dissonance will only exacerbate divisions and lead to violence. One only needs to look at the average age of those killed in factional fighting to know that it will be Palestine’s youth who will continue paying the price for these divisions. Bringing purpose to politics and catalyzing Palestinian society will require fostering mutual respect and opening channels of democratic dialogue, which is precisely what Sharek Debate, over the coming months, will attempt to do.