Palestinians Are Dissatisfied With Their Government and Look for Alternatives - Here's Why

In mid-May, one of the leading West Bank educational establishments, Birzeit University, located north of Ramallah, held its annual student council elections.

Before the vote, experts estimated that the university's Islamic Wafa bloc, associated with Hamas, would take over the Fatah-affiliated Shabiba. Nobody, however, could have predicted that they would win with a landslide.

PA Not Addressing Public Concerns

The results, in which the Islamic Wafa bloc garnished 28 seats, leaving only 18 to its rivals, have surprised many. Hani Al Masri, a Ramallah-based political analyst, says these results were highly predictable.

"The reason for these results is connected to the Palestinian Authority", said the expert.

"In the past three years, it made many mistakes in the West Bank so it is not surprising why its popularity has fallen, especially in this university. And it is also a barometer of the general mood on the Palestinian streets," he added.

On the economic front, the PA has been struggling to cope with the repercussions of COVID-19 and the crisis it brought. The PA imposed restrictions and a lockdown, but the thousands of Palestinians who lost their jobs haven't been compensated for their losses. Their economic concerns have never been addressed.

Other pressing issues that have been bothering the Palestinian public were neglected.

One such issue is the escalation of tensions around the Al Aqsa mosque, third holiest site for Muslims. Since March, tensions between the Palestinians and Israel have been escalating. The former have been claiming that the latter has been violating their rights and infringing on their freedom of religion.

Столкновения палестинцев с израильскими силами безопасности у мечети Аль-Акса в Старом городе Иерусалима

Clashes in the area have become a regular phenomenon but the PA has continued to maintain its security cooperation with the Jewish state, to the frustration of the Palestinian masses.

However, the dissatisfaction has also been mounting for yet another reason -- the lack of peace talks. Direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians ended in 2014 but they didn't bring any results. Israeli authorities have continued to approve the construction of settlements in the West Bank, including during the tenure of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. The Palestinian public has been wary that their government didn't do anything to stop that encroachment of what they perceive as their lands.

"The PA has ignored Jerusalem and it does nothing for the peace process. Palestinian leaders are now dealing with the PA as if it was the final goal, not one of the steps before the end of the occupation. This is something that the Palestinians cannot accept, and this is why they are looking for alternatives," reasoned Al Masri.

Looking for Alternatives

The main "alternative" currently available to the Palestinians is Hamas. As a movement that adopts resistance and calls for using force and violence against Israel, their popularity has risen in recent years. According to the most recent poll -- conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research, the chief of the Islamic group Ismail Haniyeh would receive some 54 percent of the votes, if elections were held today. The leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, would only get 38 percent.

"Of course, Hamas has also made mistakes. But at least they embrace change and resistance," said Al Masri.

"The PA, on the other hand, doesn't. They only care about their own interests. Abbas destroyed all the institutions inside Fatah [his ruling party - ed.]. He collected all the authority inside his hands so it is not surprising why many want him to leave office," he added.

Estimates suggest that 70 percent of Palestinians are dissatisfied with the policies led by Abbas. 73 percent wants him to resign. That option, however, seems to be nowhere in sight.

"It is not easy to oust Abbas. Palestinians are very divided and disorganised. They might slam him on social media networks. They might write posts and articles against him. But they lack unity. And if so, chances that he will leave are scarce", concluded Al Masri.