What if the elections are postponed?!

Writer: Awni Al-Mashni

Whether the elections were postponed or not, those elections achieved many of their goals: broad alignments against the hegemony of one individual, a Fatahist alignment that extends from Marwan Barghouti to what he represents and the democratic reform movement to what is embodied on the ground and what is in between them, and between them is a lot, a Fatah cadre with positions, a marginalized cadre, an angry cadre, and a cadre yearning for change. The unity of the Fatah movement was achieved with the exception of the monopolized, exclusionary, and exclusivist faction. Intentions, decisions, and readiness were achieved. It was implicitly understood that it was the Fatah majority contained in the accusation of misdemeanor, dissent, or conspiracy. This is not a detail, this is a strategic variable in Fatah’s path, and even if that unity does not last if the elections are postponed, the willingness to engage in them now is a message that has been conveyed strongly: You are not the majority of Fatah, you are not an extension of its heritage, you are not custodians of its future, and you are not a reflection of its values, principles, and political etiquette.

In parallel, Cairo will turn into a center for factional dialogue to form electoral blocs, and at the center of those talks is the reform movement, which is an eloquent message of the same kind, but in larger letters: You are not the historical center of gravity that Fatah enjoyed, you are not the center of political influence that Fatah enjoyed, you are not the pillar of the tent, nor even within it. Your political choices have placed you in another place, lacking power, influence, and importance. You are nothing more than a bubble in a gray place.

Even if the elections are postponed, these qualitative additions will remain until the next elections. They will grow and grow and flowers will bloom in the usual garden of Palestinian diversity. Whoever sees only himself will end up in a place that others do not see. Whoever wants to be alone must know that the Palestinian issue is a challenge that no one can bear alone, and no one can monopolize it alone.

The elections achieved part of their goals before they even took place, and the rest was achieved.