The Palestinian Democracy Defeats the Israeli Bet

Once again, some commentators in the occupation media write about the Palestinian reality as if observing it through opaque glass, distorting facts and projecting their political desires onto a scene they have failed to understand or influence. This applies to the article by "Ehud Yaari" who attempted to depict the Palestinian local elections as a "victory marred by scratches," while the truth is that these elections constituted a new slap to the project of "Benjamin Netanyahu's" government, and to the extremist current led by "Bezalel Smotrich" and "Itamar Ben Gvir."

The truth that the article deliberately overlooks is that holding elections in itself, and especially at this particular time, is a national and sovereign achievement par excellence.

These elections were held amidst a continuous genocide against our people in the Gaza Strip, systematic financial and economic tightening policies, the withholding of funds from the Palestinian National Authority, and daily attempts to undermine its existence and weaken its capacity to continue. Yet, the Palestinian National Authority, with limited resources, succeeded in maintaining its institutional stability, fulfilling its civil and security duties, enforcing the law, and consolidating its political presence.

As for the claim that the results of these elections were predetermined, it reflects the mentality of occupation more than it reflects the Palestinian reality. The Palestinian people, who went to the polls despite all circumstances, once again proved that their democratic choice is not a mere formality, but a rooted practice that reflects their free will.

The turnout rate, which was comparable to the elections of 2022, is not an indicator of weakness, as some try to depict it, but rather evidence of the steadfast popular presence in the democratic process, despite calls for boycotts, and despite frustrations and challenges.

The wide victory of the Fatah movement, whether through the ballot boxes or through national agreements in hundreds of local councils, cannot be reduced to a superficial reading that ignores its political nature. These results represent a renewed popular referendum on the approach of the Fatah movement and on the program of the Palestine Liberation Organization as the legitimate and sole representative of our people. They clearly express the public's rallying around their national project, in the face of all attempts to circumvent or undermine it.

Moreover, these results carry a deep political message that our people, despite all the pressures, blockades, and aggression they face, still choose the path of organized national action, renew their confidence in national institutions, and reject slipping into chaos or alternatives imposed from the outside, whether under security, humanitarian, or even misleading political titles.

As for the talk about "divisions within Fatah," it is a selective reading that overlooks the nature of the movement as a broad and diverse national framework that embraces the Palestinian political and social diversity. The competition within the movement often reflects a vibrant internal democracy, not a state of weakness, and is part of the natural development of any mass movement leading a national project as large as the Palestinian issue.

Most importantly, these elections have thwarted the occupation's bet on using municipalities and local councils as a gateway to undermine the Palestinian National Authority.

They bet on creating an administrative and political vacuum and dismantling the Palestinian institutional structure from the bottom up, but the results were completely contrary, confirming the ability of the Palestinian political system to renew itself and continue.

In this context, Deir al-Balah emerges as a political landmark that cannot be underestimated. Holding elections in this city, for the first time in many years of Hamas control over the Gaza Strip and its obstruction of the democratic process, amidst the enormous devastation inflicted on the strip, holds profound meanings that transcend numbers and ratios. It is a living affirmation of the unity of land and people, and a failure of all attempts to separate, whether those pursued by the policies of occupation, or those entrenched by the division. This scene also exposes the fallacy of readings that attempt to portray Hamas as a ready-made alternative or beneficiary from the decline of the national case, which are readings not devoid of alignment with agendas that seek to weaken the Palestinian political system.

Our people have spoken clearly: We are one people, and we exercise our democratic right despite war and destruction.

It cannot be neglected that the success of holding these elections, and their expansion by acclamation in hundreds of local councils, also reflects a high level of national and social responsibility, as national and community forces provided a model of consensus to preserve the social fabric and prevent internal fragmentation, at a politically sensitive moment.

The Israeli article ignores this essential truth because it simply does not want to acknowledge the failure of its political project. The problem does not lie in alleged "scratches" in the election results, but in the Israeli inability to break the Palestinian will or impose political alternatives on our people.

These elections have proven that the Palestinian people, despite all their wounds, are still capable of producing life, adhering to their democratic choice, and renewing their confidence in national institutions. It is a clear message to anyone trying to read the scene with one eye: The will of our people is stronger than all attempts at subjugation, and our national project continues, and will not be defeated by the blockade or misleading analysis.

They also represent an advanced station in the path of consolidating Palestinian democracy, a message of resilience in the face of occupation and its plans, and a confirmation that our people is moving forward in building its national institutions and enhancing its political presence, with the aim of achieving its aspirations for freedom, independence, and establishing its independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

In short, what occurred is not a "victory with scratches," as some claim, but a clear national victory, written by the will of a people, thwarting the occupation's bets, and reaffirming that Palestine, despite everything, is still capable of stating its word.