He said: "Imagine that Palestinians elect the leadership of Israel and Israelis elect the leadership of Palestine"

Writer: Editor-in-Chief / Dr. Nasser Al-Laham

I have been following the Israeli elections for about 40 years and what has happened and is happening in them. Each time, predictions either succeed or fail, but during this period, no one has certainty, which is enough reason to cause tension among observers, the media, and consequently, the citizens.

Once, due to our intense following of the Israeli elections, after the death of leader Yasser Arafat, my friend Auni Al-Mashni said to me: 'Don't you notice that we are overly concerned with the elections in Israel instead of focusing on our own elections!!' He added that the Israelis, instead of paying attention to their municipalities and their lives, have left their work and lives to focus very much on our lives!! I said yes. He jokingly said, 'Well, I have a suggestion that the Palestinian people elect Israeli leaders and the Israelis elect our president and our leaders, and we can end this headache.'

It is true that it was a passing joke, but it is deep and impactful and describes the situation that both sides have reached due to the foggy vision and the focus of each side on undermining the other instead of paying attention to its own successes.

I follow the programs of the Israeli lists and find that they all talk about Khan Yunis, Rafah, Jabalia, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jenin, Tulkarm, our camps, our towns, and our streets. They even hang pictures of the candidates on the gates of Palestinian cities and the orchards of villages, even though we do not vote!! This is a case of political surrealism and a deceptive utopia for the candidates themselves and their voting audience. Even Minister Ben Gvir conducts his election campaign in prisons and cells with the prisoners, and I have never heard him discuss a program about the Israeli police and societal issues like organized crime, the mafia, daily killings, and smuggling!!

The Palestinian electoral lists have begun to register themselves and prepare for the elections. I read most of them and found nothing but the same promises and the same slogans for reform and confronting Israel. If it weren't for our personal knowledge of the candidates, we wouldn't have known this electoral program for the official Fatah, Hamas, Marwan Barghouti, or Mohammed Dahlan!!

Palestine has a presidential system, which means that the parliament cannot change a single decree issued by an elected president. Israel has a parliamentary system, which means that any prime minister cannot change anything without returning to the majority of parliament members.

I am struck by the fact that Palestinian society treats itself as if it is a parliamentary system, and I do not know why? I am also struck by the fact that Israel treats itself as if it is a presidential system, and I do not know why?

If it weren't for Aouni Al-Mashni's "joke," I wouldn't have been able to explain the crisis of self-awareness for each party to this extent.