Egypt has presented a plan to reconcile and unify the two main fractions of the Palestinian people Fatah and Hamas. The Syrian-based leadership of the militant Hamas has rejected the Egyptian-mediated proposal to reconcile with the rival Fatah group. While Fatah signed on this declaration, Hamas and other Damascus based groups rejected the plan as it failed to make reference to the Palestinian right to resist the Israeli occupation.

Hamas also rejected the call set forth by the outgoing President Abbas to hold general election on January 24th allowing the Palestinian people a chance to choose new leadership and set a clear mandate for their future.

In a nutshell, the Palestinian people are left with divided leaders, wide ideological friction between the two main groups supposedly representing them and an abundance of meaningless meetings and delayed resolutions to free them from a griping and lethal Israeli occupation.

The Palestinian struggle for a free, democratic and secular home land within the 1967 boarder with East Jerusalem as its capital is a given right that has been recognized by many of the International communities. Further, the Egyptian resolution is set forth not to define the Palestinian struggle but to help reconcile the two main factions representing the Palestinian people. So it goes without saying, few words written on a piece of paper do not define the pain, suffering or struggle of the Palestinian people, it is the leadership of the Palestinian people that defines that.

So, why is it that Hamas is unwilling to go to the polls and let the Palestinian people be the judge that determines their successes and failures?

Within any democratic system, people take pride in choosing their own elected officials who supposedly promise, if elected by the people, to protect and serve the people. At any given point and if the elected officials fail to protect and serve the people, the people would then withdraw their support and elect new representatives. The Palestinian people democratically elected Hamas; Hamas has neither protected nor served the people as we have seen in Gaza. Therefore, what legitimate cause does Hamas have to stand against the wish of the people if they wish to rethink their position?

President Abbas and the Fatah party failed the Palestinian people on two separate occasions. First, it was the corruption within the ranks of the party and Abbas’s lack of action to bring the perpetrators to justice. The second had to do with Abbas’s decision to postpone taking action on the Goldstone report.
Abbas’s unjustifiable behaviour concerning the Goldstone report led to his resignation as president of the Palestinian Authority.

The January 24th, 2010 election call by Abbas is a needed step to allow the Palestinians to choose a leadership that truly represent their interests. However, the People of Palestine are faced with a huge dilemma. Which party or leader do you vote for when neither Fatah nor Hamas has proved capable of leading the Palestinian nation?

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