Unprecedented Palestinian Leadership Crisis

In early March 2016, we wrote an article titled: (Fear for the Authority from the Authority), in which we stated that the existence of a national authority – in principle – is correct. We warned that the danger to the existing authority does not come only from Israel, but also from within; through marginalizing its national role and the loss of trust between it and the people, and the disintegration of the leadership institution, which is what is happening now.

We are not speaking here of the inability to confront the enemy and its plans, as the significant imbalance in the balance of power can be an excuse for the official leadership for not achieving all the objectives for which the contemporary Palestinian revolution was launched, but rather about internal structural and functional defects in the political system and among the political class in all its orientations and practices, which we have repeatedly written about in the past: a defect in the rotation of power, a defect due to the hegemony of the "elders" over top positions, a defect in the relationship between the people and the ruling political class, and a defect and lack of trust even among the components of the political class, whether within the executive committee of the organization or within the central committee of Fatah, and between them and the government.

After some of this political class became deeply entrenched in corruption through their positions in the Palestinian Authority and in leadership positions in the Palestine Liberation Organization and other parties, and secured a comfortable life for themselves and their children, and given the upcoming elections for the National Council and Fatah, and because the Authority and the official leadership began to weaken their ability to deter and hold accountable, in fact, there is an unprecedented leadership crisis in history; for all these reasons, the number of hypocrites, opportunists, and self-proclaimed patriots who have been silent for years has increased, and now they are starting to speak about the corruption of the Authority and the need for its reform, or about armed resistance and the importance of Hamas retaining its weapons, they who were part of an Authority whose approach was opposed to armed resistance.

Some of these individuals want to jump off the ship of power before they believe it sinks, while others believe that by criticizing the Authority, talking about its corruption, and glorifying the resistance, they will cover up their own corruption, and others are preparing for the upcoming elections, believing that Palestinians, especially the members of Fatah, can be deceived once again; thus, they have increased their appearances on social media, and through live broadcasts and "podcasts", flattering the president and appearing like innocent lambs, ignoring what is happening to the cause in the West Bank, the suffering of the people of Gaza, and the accelerating collapses in the region in favor of the enemy, for them the important thing is to ensure their continued presence in their positions in the executive committee, or the central committee, or the revolutionary council of the movement, or in higher positions or at the head of their stagnant parties.

The majority of the political elites and leaderships that have been unable, over decades and in better internal, regional, and international circumstances than those currently prevailing, to do anything to confront the settlement and annexation projects in the West Bank and what Gaza is suffering from death and blood and its departure from its national context, cannot be relied upon once again to lead the people and the cause, and if they return to their leadership positions through manipulating the electoral machine or resorting to appointments (in the name of the president), this will lead not only to the continuation of the crisis in the Palestinian political system but will also facilitate the enemy's attempts to complete its plans to liquidate the entire cause.