No matter what the result, the infusion of party political debate in the run-up to Palestinian national elections this week is a heartening sign, writes Erica Silverman "At the end of the day I am a child of the refugee camps, and when I see those young kids that you saw in the streets today, I remember myself. When I see the women, such as the women you saw today, it reminds me of my mother who used to go around from Israeli prison to Israeli prison looking for me. And so, I have not separated myself from the feelings and the needs of people," Palestinian Authority Civil Affairs Minister Mohamed Dahlan told Al-Ahram Weekly from the Fatah campaign trail in the Gaza Strip . Already ahead in the polls, Dahlan joined six other Fatah candidates to wage an inspiring campaign across his hometown of Khan Yunis, where he is running for a district seat in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). As Fatah's star candidate, Dahlan has not been afraid to answer back to the fierce campaign waged by Hamas. On 25 January, Palestinians will head to the polls to elect their second parliament, choosing between the polarised Fatah -- the party of President Mahmoud Abbas -- and Hamas, and from an assortment of independent candidates that have ushered in a new era of partisan politics. Fatah, led by Marwan Barghouti -- himself a symbol of the Intifada still incarcerated in an Israeli prison -- is expected to garner about 43 per cent of the vote, Hamas, the "Change and Reform" movement, led by Ismail Hannieh, about 34 per cent, and "Independent Palestine" led by former presidential candidate Mustafa Barghouti an estimated 6.5 per cent. As the campaign officially came to a close, Fatah had managed to unite their base of supporters and paint a clearer picture of needed PA internal reforms and the "brighter future" they have promised. Speaking at a rally outside Yasser Arafat's house in Gaza City on Monday, Samir Mashharawi, senior Fatah leader and district candidate for Gaza, stood alongside Dahlan, as he told the enthusiastic crowd, "you were right, Abu Ammar [Arafat], when you called for democracy, and when you called for all Palestinians to join the PA... we call on all Palestinians to vote as a challenge to the occupation." Smart, good looking, and tough, the two politicians represent the new face of Fatah, and hopefully a more transparent leadership style. Dahlan has earned the respect of the international community, and of Israel, as an honest broker, and Mashharawi has facilitated the inner factional dialogue in Gaza post Israeli withdrawal. For their part, Hamas brought their campaign to a close on Monday at an animated press conference in Gaza City. Senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar condemned "the interference of foreign entities, by supporting certain political parties to buy the vote of the Palestinian people." On Sunday The Washington Post reported that the US has been quietly providing financial support to the PA -- nearly $2 million worth -- through United States Agency for International Development (USAID) projects geared towards improving the PA's image ahead of the elections. Mashharawi claims the contributions were to the PA, and not Fatah, and were separate from the elections. Al-Zahar insists Hamas's campaign was financed through "voluntary support". More than three-fourths of the Palestinian population "do not feel that their families, themselves or their property are secure under the current local security conditions", according to a recently published poll conducted by An-Najah University in Nablus. As well as stating that under Hamas this situation would change, Hamas has forced Fatah -- and in turn the PA -- to re- evaluate its style of governance and to apologise to Palestinians for past mistakes. Minister Dahlan explained that he met thousands of members from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, Fatah's military wing, to address grievances in an effort to keep the peace during the elections, even co-opting some of them into his own personal security apparatus. Al-Aqsa Martyrs conducted a recent wave of civil violence across Gaza and parts of the West Bank that threatened to cancel the elections, demanding jobs and expressing frustrating with Fatah's less than democratic primaries process. Should Palestinians give Fatah "a second chance", as Fatah's campaign posters requested? "We are not at all embarrassed to be asking for a second opportunity from the Palestinian people... We have managed to achieve a lot throughout these 10 years, and we also failed in a number of aspects," Dahlan told the Weekly. How does the PA plan to put an end to corruption? "We have a number of individuals who are guilty, and they should not be playing any role," responded Dahlan, citing reforms within the judicial system and the PA bureaucracy as the solution. "We have to re-organise the security situation, and we are not going to allow parties to have both military and political wings. This is going to require some real work, and we have a programme in place," he affirmed. Young women and men pushed their way through a packed Fatah youth rally in Khan Yunis to reach Dahlan, shouting out pleas for permits to travel to the West Bank and job requests, demonstrating that Fatah and the PA have yet to be separated. Fatah's platform is to liberate and to build Palestine, and the movement believes that liberation can be reached through negotiations and a popular resistance that will now focus on the "separation barrier" and settlements in the West Bank. Palestine will be built through the revitalisation of the economy, and by executing a pointed plan preparing the PA infrastructure for statehood, explained Dahlan; a marked change from just after Israel's withdrawal from Gaza when the PA appeared lost and without direction. Fatah has reiterated its commitment to the separation of religion and state, although members will stay fixed to religious principles. Every household in Khan Yunis received a new copy of the Quran, along with campaign material, from Dahlan. Whether Fatah can lead a popular, non- violent resistance movement effectively remains in question. Tightly organised and intellectual, Hamas can lead a resistance movement, but one committed to violence. It is almost inevitable that Fatah and Hamas will have to govern together. After the elections President Abbas will have four weeks to form a cabinet that will most likely include Hamas members. Nearly three-fourths of the Palestinian population support a renewal of the ceasefire ( tahdia ) between the Palestinian factions and Israel. An ideological battle has ensued between Fatah and Hamas over what type of negotiations, if any, should be conducted with Israel, and over whether the nature of the resistance should be violent or non-violent. "There is no shame in negotiation... you can negotiate and resist," asserted Samir Mashharawi. Meanwhile, Al-Zahar asserted, "negotiations are a means, not a goal... If Israel will acknowledge our national interests, then we are ready for discussion, but to repeat the previous system, this is not our aim." Indeed, the challenge of continuing the resistance while conducting effective policy- making is but one issue the new PLC will face. How exactly the PLC will look with a significant Hamas presence is open to speculation. In the first ever nationally televised political debates, aired by the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, Al-Zahar and Dahlan slugged it out over the issues. Both parties present themselves as moderate and both insist they will respect the will of the people; no matter whom the victor, vibrant political debate in a previously one party-dominated system is a healthy change. Dahlan illustrated his vision of the Palestinian dream, couched in terms of self- determination in culture, academia, and most importantly democratic governance. He made a campaign stop at the former Israeli settlement Neve Dekalim for the opening ceremony of Al-Aqsa University on the now liberated Palestinian land. The inspiring new structure proves the PA is using settlement land for the greater good, observed a campaign manager. Participation is expected to be high. Palestinians largely believe the next parliament will be fair and democratic, a real victory for the Palestinian people who have managed to embrace the democratic process while coping with tremendous violence imposed upon them by an occupying power. "The most important thing you can do for your nation is vote," advised Dahlan.
