Jan 10, 2005
From Khalid Amayreh in the West Bank
Palestinians: Yes to democracy, no to the occupation
January 9, 2005
From Khalid Amayreh in the West Bank
In a festive mood defying the grim reality of the Israeli occupation, thousands of Palestinians continued to converge on polling stations throughout the Occupied Territories to elect a new Palestinian leader who will succeed the late PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Turnout has been relatively high in the Palestinian countryside but relatively low in some towns, including Hebron in the southern West Bank.
Palestinian election officials and observers said they expected a boycott call by Hamas and other Islamist groups to have a certain impact in several areas considered Islamist strongholds.
According to official sources, the turnout in Hebron didn’t exceed 13% by 2:00 o'clock local time (12:00 o'clock GMT).
Hebron is the West Bank's most populous town and along with surrounding smaller towns and villages, which all make up the Hebron District, has a population of close to half a million, or one fourth of the total population of the entire West Bank.
In rural towns, such as Dura, and contiguous villages and hamlets, the turnout has been significantly higher, reaching nearly 50% in some localities by 2:00 o'clock p.m.
Palestinian officials and pollsters said they expected a high-turnout, possibly approaching 65%, which would serve Fatah candidate and frontrunner Mahmoud Abbas who is expected to win the election.
Aljazeera.net has toured several polling stations in the southern West Bank, registering voters' impressions and expectations.
Muhammed Said al-Soyouri, a 60 year retiree, who had worked in Saudi Arabia for over 20 years, said he expected the would-be president to ease up economic conditions.
"We hope that he will be able to improve our economic conditions, maybe give us free electricity, free education and free water like in civilized countries such as the United States."
However, when al-Soyouri was reminded that even in the US, there was no such a thing as free utilities and free education, he shrugged his shoulders, saying "then the US is not a civilized country."
Ahmed Darawish, a 73-year-old farmer, from Dura, told aljazeera.net that the elections were good in themselves.
"A people who don't elect their leaders and rulers freely are slaves or even worse.
" From now on, Arab peoples around us need not learn democracy from the West, they can learn it from us."
However, the elderly Palestinian recognized that no matter how democratic the Palestinians become, this wouldn't help much to emancipate them from the Israeli occupation.
"My son, freedom is achieved by blood, not by elections."
In some localities, like in Khursa, 46 kilometers south of Jerusalem, Fatah activists were busy bringing elderly people to the local polling station and reportedly inducing them to vote for the movement's candidate, Abu Mazen.
Some squabbles between Fatah supporters and those backing independent candidate Mustafa Barghouthi took place in some villages.
However, none of these small-scale altercations involved into violence.
Many eligible voters have preferred to boycott the elections, either in deference to Hamas's call to that effect or because they don't think that the election will drastically improve the overall political situation.
One of those is Ali Hijjeh, a plasters and construction worker, also of the small village of Khursa.
He opined that that neither Abbas nor any other candidate would be able extricate "anything from Sharon's parsimonious hands."
"I am not against democracy, the Arab world needs democracy, but this election under the Israeli occupation is like placing the carriage before the horse."
Hijjeh cited another reason for boycotting the election.
"I am convinced that Abu Mazen would retain the same corrupt people who stole millions from the people, and in case he tried to remove them, let alone prosecute them for their crimes, they might very well kill him."
Another boycotter, Abdul Karim Titi, of the Fawar refugee camp, south of Hebron, said that Palestinians were being beguiled and deceived once again.
"In 1995, every Palestinian thought he would obtain a brand new car and be able to build an elegant red-tiled villa. I am afraid we are about to suffer the same nightmare again, this time under Abu Mazen instead of Arafat."
Observers
In addition to western observers from North America and Europe, several delegates from such Arab countries as Egypt and Jordan have arrived in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to monitor the elections and ensure their transparency.
A large Jordanian delegation, headed by former Prime Minister Abdul Salam al Majali, toured polling stations in the Hebron area.
One delegate, Khaldon al-Nasser, Head of the nationalist center-right Al-Ahed Party, told aljazeera.net that the current Palestinian elections were very important for the consolidation of democracy throughout the Arab world.
"You people here are practicing democracy under the most difficult conditions because of the repugnant Israeli occupation, this in itself should earn you the admiration and respect of the entire world.
"No body can belittle this election, eventually all Arabs will learn from you, the disease of democracy will spread eventually, maybe slowly but definitely."
January 9, 2005
From Khalid Amayreh in the West Bank
In a festive mood defying the grim reality of the Israeli occupation, thousands of Palestinians continued to converge on polling stations throughout the Occupied Territories to elect a new Palestinian leader who will succeed the late PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Turnout has been relatively high in the Palestinian countryside but relatively low in some towns, including Hebron in the southern West Bank.
Palestinian election officials and observers said they expected a boycott call by Hamas and other Islamist groups to have a certain impact in several areas considered Islamist strongholds.
According to official sources, the turnout in Hebron didn’t exceed 13% by 2:00 o'clock local time (12:00 o'clock GMT).
Hebron is the West Bank's most populous town and along with surrounding smaller towns and villages, which all make up the Hebron District, has a population of close to half a million, or one fourth of the total population of the entire West Bank.
In rural towns, such as Dura, and contiguous villages and hamlets, the turnout has been significantly higher, reaching nearly 50% in some localities by 2:00 o'clock p.m.
Palestinian officials and pollsters said they expected a high-turnout, possibly approaching 65%, which would serve Fatah candidate and frontrunner Mahmoud Abbas who is expected to win the election.
Aljazeera.net has toured several polling stations in the southern West Bank, registering voters' impressions and expectations.
Muhammed Said al-Soyouri, a 60 year retiree, who had worked in Saudi Arabia for over 20 years, said he expected the would-be president to ease up economic conditions.
"We hope that he will be able to improve our economic conditions, maybe give us free electricity, free education and free water like in civilized countries such as the United States."
However, when al-Soyouri was reminded that even in the US, there was no such a thing as free utilities and free education, he shrugged his shoulders, saying "then the US is not a civilized country."
Ahmed Darawish, a 73-year-old farmer, from Dura, told aljazeera.net that the elections were good in themselves.
"A people who don't elect their leaders and rulers freely are slaves or even worse.
" From now on, Arab peoples around us need not learn democracy from the West, they can learn it from us."
However, the elderly Palestinian recognized that no matter how democratic the Palestinians become, this wouldn't help much to emancipate them from the Israeli occupation.
"My son, freedom is achieved by blood, not by elections."
In some localities, like in Khursa, 46 kilometers south of Jerusalem, Fatah activists were busy bringing elderly people to the local polling station and reportedly inducing them to vote for the movement's candidate, Abu Mazen.
Some squabbles between Fatah supporters and those backing independent candidate Mustafa Barghouthi took place in some villages.
However, none of these small-scale altercations involved into violence.
Many eligible voters have preferred to boycott the elections, either in deference to Hamas's call to that effect or because they don't think that the election will drastically improve the overall political situation.
One of those is Ali Hijjeh, a plasters and construction worker, also of the small village of Khursa.
He opined that that neither Abbas nor any other candidate would be able extricate "anything from Sharon's parsimonious hands."
"I am not against democracy, the Arab world needs democracy, but this election under the Israeli occupation is like placing the carriage before the horse."
Hijjeh cited another reason for boycotting the election.
"I am convinced that Abu Mazen would retain the same corrupt people who stole millions from the people, and in case he tried to remove them, let alone prosecute them for their crimes, they might very well kill him."
Another boycotter, Abdul Karim Titi, of the Fawar refugee camp, south of Hebron, said that Palestinians were being beguiled and deceived once again.
"In 1995, every Palestinian thought he would obtain a brand new car and be able to build an elegant red-tiled villa. I am afraid we are about to suffer the same nightmare again, this time under Abu Mazen instead of Arafat."
Observers
In addition to western observers from North America and Europe, several delegates from such Arab countries as Egypt and Jordan have arrived in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to monitor the elections and ensure their transparency.
A large Jordanian delegation, headed by former Prime Minister Abdul Salam al Majali, toured polling stations in the Hebron area.
One delegate, Khaldon al-Nasser, Head of the nationalist center-right Al-Ahed Party, told aljazeera.net that the current Palestinian elections were very important for the consolidation of democracy throughout the Arab world.
"You people here are practicing democracy under the most difficult conditions because of the repugnant Israeli occupation, this in itself should earn you the admiration and respect of the entire world.
"No body can belittle this election, eventually all Arabs will learn from you, the disease of democracy will spread eventually, maybe slowly but definitely."