Partisan fanaticism...the biggest disaster threatening the Palestinian cause

Since the era of the British Mandate, Palestinian parties have been the basis of the national liberation movement, as they formed platforms for organizing the Palestinian people against colonialism and then against the Israeli occupation. Although these parties did not appear publicly in their beginnings, they played a fundamental role in the Palestinian struggle, as the Palestinian people adhered to their national unity and national rallying around their parties, due to the prominent role they played in gathering efforts towards liberating the land and restoring rights. Over time, these parties, which include national and Islamic forces, became an important struggle base in confronting the occupation, and they constituted a role model for all and contributed to building a deep Palestinian national awareness.

The reality changed dramatically after the Oslo Accords, as the parties were divided between those who supported the agreement and had their own vision, and those who opposed it and had a different point of view. Things became more complicated after Hamas won the legislative elections in 2006. This victory was not accepted by other Palestinian forces, nor on the regional and international levels. This led to a state of political confusion and the isolation of the Hamas government globally, especially after the movement refused to recognize Israel, despite the fact that it came to power in elections resulting from a Palestinian Authority emerging from the PLO that signed the Oslo Accords. This was followed by Hamas’s violent control of the Gaza Strip and the Authority’s institutions in 2007.

These events caused a stifling siege to be imposed on the Palestinian people, which increased political and social tensions between the Palestinian factions, and contributed to the exacerbation of the state of division, deepening partisanship and exchanging accusations, forming an obstacle to unifying the Palestinian internal front, as partisanship flared up openly and eliminated the legacy of the parties’ struggle in confronting the occupation.

With the increasing disparity between the Palestinian factions, the weakness of coordination between them, and the disintegration of the internal front, the Israeli occupation exploited this situation to strengthen its grip on the Palestinian territories. This internal division had a significant impact on the Palestinian people, both socially and politically, and made it more difficult to reach solutions to the conflict with the occupation.

The outbreak of events on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent fierce aggression on Gaza and major escalation in the West Bank, led to an escalation of partisan divisions. Positions varied between those who support resistance as a strategic option and those who believe that the events revealed the need to re-evaluate the course of the Palestinian cause, stressing that the political and diplomatic option may be better in light of the great losses in terms of destruction, martyrs, wounded, and the imbalance of power.

All these reasons and others clearly showed that Palestinian partisanship contributed to the deterioration of the political situation. At the international level, the Palestinian division has become a major obstacle to solutions, and has become a tool in the hands of some regional parties to implement their agendas through the divided parties. This division has affected trust between the factions, and has been clearly evident in the Palestinian people’s loss of confidence in the calls of the parties, especially in Gaza after years of deprivation and siege, leading to a war of extermination, and in the West Bank with the absence of elections and the control of a single party for nearly two decades.

In the context of public relations plans, we always work on the fact that the public is the basis of any successful process. Also, parties that decide in the name of the people must realize that the Palestinian people are not united in their support for them. Thousands of Palestinians do not follow any party and their voice remains absent in light of the division. Even within the parties themselves, there is great criticism of the method of management and the management of differences. This indicates the need to reconsider the party reality and move away from the belief that all Palestinians belong to the same current and address the people in clear, sound and realistic language and even be frank with them about the reality and the declared and hidden goals.

Today, partisanship and mutual betrayal through social media and screens have become painful for Palestinians. We need a law that criminalizes fanaticism and betrayal, even if it is a popular law that sane people reject any manifestation of partisan fanaticism, while emphasizing the necessity of Palestinian national unity and the national goal as the criterion that unites us.

If we look into the basis of the partisan differences and criticisms, we will find that their basis goes back to the Oslo Accords and its consequences, the form of resistance, whether armed or political and diplomatic, the style and method of governance in the West Bank and Gaza, corruption and its forms, security and its implementation, and whether the Palestinian decision is internal or subject to external parties. These are the basic issues that result in partisan differences and racist defense, and all of them need to be discussed and studied and then treated with caution. The most important thing is to overcome these differences and bring viewpoints closer together for the benefit of the Palestinian people.

The biggest catastrophe that this stage has produced is the extension of the partisan division into the depths of Palestinian society. The division is no longer confined to the political or media elites, but has begun to affect individuals within the same society and even within the same family. This division poses a real danger to the Palestinian social fabric, which has always been one of the pillars of steadfastness in the face of the occupation.

The partisan catastrophe is deepened by the absence of warnings in the media discourse of the spokesmen for the Palestinian parties and their fanaticism, which deepens internal divisions and conveys a negative image of the differences to the people and the outside world, which harms the Palestinian cause. The solution lies in unifying the media discourse in a way that places the national interest above partisan interests, and training official spokesmen to adopt a professional and responsible discourse that reflects the suffering of the Palestinian people and the justice of their cause instead of focusing on divisions and accusations. What we sometimes see of "media debate and slander" that dominates some satellite channels and social media platforms that exploit division and fanaticism to achieve their agendas does not provide real solutions and does not contribute to enriching the public debate, but is limited to the exchange of accusations and their escalation.

To get out of the partisan crisis, it is necessary to strengthen the values of dialogue and mutual respect within Palestinian society, whether between individuals or parties, and parties and their members, by training them to accept others and the language of dialogue and rejecting the culture of “if you are not with me, you are against me,” which has become a major obstacle to national understanding; it must be eliminated in favor of building a cohesive society capable of facing common challenges.

Overcoming the effects of partisanship requires broad awareness and a will focused on unifying ranks around major national issues. Promoting the values of citizenship that place Palestine above any party affiliation and establishing trust among the components of Palestinian society through constructive dialogue is the solution.

The abhorrent partisanship has brought nothing but disasters to the Palestinian people. Today, there must be a collective awareness of the need to overcome this painful reality and work to strengthen national unity as the only way to save the Palestinian cause. Achieving Palestinian unity requires political and societal will, and continuous efforts to overcome differences. This unity is not just a political demand, but rather the only guarantee for steadfastness in the face of Israeli aggression and the realization of the Palestinian people’s aspirations for freedom and independence.

Today, we are in dire need of new parties capable of overcoming the divisions and challenges we face as Palestinians. These parties can be represented by independent national figures, civil society institutions, or popular initiatives that carry a comprehensive, unifying vision that places the national interest above narrow partisan interests. The starting point is dialogue within the same party first, to overcome these divisions and achieve a real change in the way individuals and society think. We must work to accept and listen to others, and think collectively instead of repeating the mistakes that have made us immersed in disagreements and partisan fanaticism. If parties contribute to fueling partisan fanaticism and widening the gap between us, then popular initiatives, especially from individuals, should serve as an incentive to overcome these obstacles, to be the beginning of a new phase characterized by cooperation, dialogue, and acceptance of diversity of opinion.

Building national unity requires us to stand together and not allow these differences to become a barrier that prevents us from building the future we want. Only through open dialogue, mutual respect, and moving away from the ideologies that divide us will we be able to reach the path of salvation and achieve our national goals.