[News] Can there be Free Elections under Fatah?

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Can there be Free Elections under Fatah?

By 
<http://palestinethinktank.com/author/khalid-amayreh/>Khalid 
Amayreh • Apr 6th, 2010
http://palestinethinktank.com/2010/04/06/can-there-be-free-elections-under-fatah/

WRITTEN BY KHALID AMAYREH:

The American-backed Fatah group has been 
demanding the organization of general elections 
in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as soon as 
possible. However, the demands don’t seem to 
reflect genuine concern about democracy as one might take it at face value.

Fatah officials and apologists argue that 
elections represent the only exit out of the 
present political deadlock at the Palestinian 
arena, including the enduring rift between Fatah 
and the Islamic movement, Hamas.

However, in the absence of real guarantees for 
holding truly free elections, the raucous blather 
about elections by the Fatah organization, or any 
other Palestinian group, remains an expression of deception and hypocrisy.

Today, the PA regime in the West Bank is more or 
less a police state apparatus. Human rights and 
civil liberties are virtually non-existent as the 
PA security agencies exercise absolute control 
over all aspects of life. People are 
unceremoniously fired from their jobs at the 
slightest suspicion regarding their political or 
ideological orientations. And the justice system 
is in a state of chronic paralysis due to the 
often wanton interference by the security apparatus.

Since 2007, hundreds of institutions have been 
seized and the “wrong”, e.g. Islamic-oriented, 
governing bodies  sacked and replaced by Fatah 
loyalists. In many cases, capable and highly 
skilled teachers and civil servants were rather 
vindictively dismissed only to be replaced by 
others whose main qualification is their membership in the Fatah organization.

And when the victims appeal to the courts for 
redress, they are told that their dismissal was 
justified due to “security reasons.”

In other words, one must sing all the songs of 
praise for Fatah and give unflinching loyalty to 
Abbas and his American-backed junta, or else he 
will be considered a security risk and consequently fired from his or her job.

In addition, there is a huge amount of abuse of 
people’s basic human and legal rights under the 
rubric of the whoring security coordination with Israel.

According to this regime, any Palestinian 
arrested by Israel is rearrested upon his or her 
release by the Palestinian Authority security 
agencies, and vice versa. Even a Palestinian 
freedom fighter or political prisoner who has 
spent 10 or 15 yeas of his life, is rearrested as 
soon as he sets foot in his village or town.

Needless to say, this is more than just security 
coordination with Israel. This is outright 
treachery since these heroic people who have 
spent the prime of their lives in Zionist jails 
deserve every appreciation and gratitude, not 
arrest, humiliation and imprisonment inside a dark, slimy cell.

In recent days and weeks, the PA has allowed 
student elections to take place on several 
campuses in the West Bank. However, the elections 
had no semblance of real elections whatsoever. In 
many cases, prior to the elections hundreds of 
Islamic-oriented students were rounded up and 
warned against participation in the elections. 
The message was too clear: If you participate in 
the elections, you will be arrested twice: First 
by the PA and then by the Israelis. Given the 
police state atmosphere, most of the student 
population either boycotted the polls or cast 
blank ballots in protest against the conspicuous 
absence of freedom and fairness.

The same pattern of behavior, the anti-Hamas 
inquisition, has prevailed and continues to 
prevail in every other institution in the West 
Bank whereby people are harassed and persecuted 
for their political views and suspected affiliation.

Hence, one would really wonder how free and fair 
elections can be carried out under such circumstances.

Well, the answer is clear: No true elections 
worthy of the name can be conducted under 
existing conditions in the West Bank where the 
Fatah-run government views an important part of 
citizenry as enemies. How else can one relate to 
the mass dismissal of people from their jobs, 
with many forced to seek work at Jewish 
settlements in order to provide food for their families?

More to the point, true elections require a 
healthy environment that is free from 
intimidation and interference by the security 
agencies, a requirement that is conspicuously 
absent especially in the West Bank.

Indeed, allowing elections, whether local or 
general, to take place under the current 
police-state atmosphere would be a serious insult 
to the Palestinian people’s intelligence.

This is why Hamas and other Palestinian factions 
which value true democracy are urged to reject 
Fatah’s exploits and explicit efforts to falsify 
the Palestinian people’s will by concocting 
elections that have little or no credibility, 
elections that would give the impression that a 
majority of the Palestinian people are 
surrendering to Israel and readying themselves 
to  sell out al-Quds al Sharif (the Noble 
Jerusalem) and the refugees’ right of return in 
exchange for a comical, hamburger statelet on parts of the West Bank.

We all know that Fatah came to regret having 
allowed elections to take place in 2006. Now, 
Fatah and the PA are assuring their ultimate 
patron, the United States (which is at Israel’s 
beck and call), that Hamas will not be allowed to win again.

Which means that Fatah, ostensibly with American 
and Israeli blessing and support, will use every 
conceivable means, including the intended 
falsification and rigging of elections, in order to ensure Fatah’s victory.

If so, it would be more dignifying and wise for 
Hamas, and other dignified Palestinians, to 
boycott such dishonorable elections as taking 
part in these elections would probably exacerbate 
the already volatile atmosphere with Fatah and 
might lead to the outbreak of violence.

Undoubtedly, Hamas might see itself coming under 
growing pressure from certain Arab regimes to 
agree to hold elections under the present 
circumstances. Well, Hamas must resist such 
pressures, especially coming  from these 
repressive regimes which are utterly unqualified 
to lecture us on elections and democracy.

In the final analysis, the vast majority of our 
people shall not and will not commit adultery 
with our enduring and sacred cause by succumbing 
to the American-Israeli conspiracies, even if 
these conspiracies assume a Palestinian face.




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