When the doors of democracy are closed, the possibilities of explosion expand

author

D. Sana Zakarna

Since 2017, there have been indications that the Hamas movement was preparing to abandon the administration of the Gaza Strip, and these attempts culminated in the dissolution of the Administrative Committee, and according to what Professor Hani Al-Masry mentioned in a podcast with Ahmed Al-Bikawi, Yahya Al-Sinur sent three letters to President Mahmoud Abbas, in which he called for an end to the division and going to elections, all the way to abandoning the rule of Gaza.

#But the 2021 elections were postponed, the division remained, the siege continued to strangle the sector, and the situation worsened until the basic necessities of life became almost non-existent, and in light of the blockage of the political horizon, the factors of explosion accumulated, one of whose greatest manifestations we witnessed on the seventh of October and beyond.

Attributing what happened in Gaza to the responsibility of one Palestinian party, or reducing it to a single moment, ignores a long political context, in which multiple Palestinian parties bear varying responsibilities, foremost of which is the responsibility for continuing the division, disrupting the democratic process, and depriving the people of their right to choose their representatives and renew their legitimacy!!!

#Democracy is not a political luxury, and elections are not a favor from anyone, but rather an inherent right of the people and a peaceful means of transferring power and renewing legitimacy. When this means is disrupted and the doors of change are closed to the people, feelings of frustration and anger accumulate, and the possibilities of an explosion become more extensive, even if its timing or destination cannot be predicted!!!

Today, with the continued disruption of the democratic entitlement and the monopoly of decision-making, a question comes to the surface that should not be ignored... How long can the Palestinian people be kept out of the equation of choosing their leadership and then ask people to be patient with a reality that they do not have the tools to change?!!!!!!!

#The street may explode sooner or later, but the greatest danger is not in the timing of the explosion alone, but in the absence of a political horizon that determines its direction and outcome!!!!

Usurping the popular will, disrupting the transfer of power, and confiscating the right of the Palestinians to choose who will rule them is not just a governance crisis; Rather, it is a direct threat to national stability and the future of the Palestinian political project

The people may be patient for a long time, but they cannot remain forever hostage to a sustained and artificial division, depleted legitimacy, and an authority that is not renewed by its will and holds the people hostage in its own hands in order to keep some people in power, and for their investment companies to continue to grow, while the people die of oppression, poverty, and occupation!!