Al-Araby al-Jadeed, London, May 8
Last week, the Palestinian National Council met in Ramallah, bringing together 18 members of the PLO’s Executive Committee who effectively comprise President Mahmoud Abbas’ cabinet. A look at the list of participants reveals that the average age of those in attendance was about 70 years old. This should cause anyone reading this to pause. The Palestinian leadership, claiming to represent the people of Palestine, consists of elderly politicians. Meanwhile, the demonstrators taking to the streets of Gaza, demanding their right to return, were all born after the turn of the millennium. This generation did not witness the Oslo Accords, the formation of the Palestinian Authority, the summit at Camp David or the outbreak of the two Intifadas. Many of them have been born into a political reality that leaves them with no hope for a better future. The dichotomy between the Palestinian people and their leaders could not be starker. Luckily, this new generation of Palestinians is rebellious. It refuses to accept the status quo. It resents complacency and idleness. It wants to take its future into its own hands and is determined to bring an end to the apathy that has come to plague Palestinian politics. The Palestinian leadership must recognize this reality. In order to salvage the Palestinian cause, the Palestinian political system must be reformed. This can be done in a few ways. First, new elections must be announced, in which all Palestinian factions are represented, regardless of religious affiliation or geographic location. We cannot afford to exclude the Palestinians in Gaza or those living in refugee camps outside of Palestine from the nation’s political process. The fate of these Palestinians is just as important as the fate of those living in the West Bank. Second, Palestinian unity must be our top priority. So long as Hamas and the PLO reject each other’s legitimacy, Palestinian politics will continue to suffer from the stalemate we are witnessing. Third, young blood must be allowed to enter the fray. It is abnormal for an exclusive group of 70-year-olds to lead a nation of which roughly half the population is younger than 20. The PLO is an admirable organization that played a crucial role in promoting and advancing the Palestinian struggle for liberation. Its institutions form a crucial part of the foundation necessary for Palestinian statehood. However, in order to survive in the coming years, Palestine’s political system must reinvent and reinvigorate itself. Otherwise, it will be replaced or, perhaps, overthrown. And this will come sooner than we think. –Muhammad Ayash