National Council Elections: Between the People's Legitimacy and the Guardianship of Authority

An analytical article discussing the reconstitution of the Palestinian National Council as a foundational issue concerning the legitimacy of popular representation versus the guardianship of elites. It criticizes the mechanisms for selecting representatives, calls for separating national consensus from quota-based allocations, and asserts that legitimacy stems from the general will, not from closed understandings. It points to a cumulative crisis in the Palestinian political system due to the suspension of elections and the erosion of institutions.

The article discusses the reconstitution of the Palestinian National Council as a foundational issue that goes beyond procedural aspects. The author argues that the controversy raised by the Hamas movement over the mechanisms for selecting representatives of the Palestinian diaspora in Kuwait is not a factional objection, but a question about the soundness of the legal basis that produced the representation. The article warns against turning national consensus into political quota-sharing, where forces agree in advance on the distribution of seats instead of agreeing on fair rules. It points to a cumulative crisis in the Palestinian political system due to the suspension of elections, the erosion of institutions, and the predominance of appointments. It calls for rebuilding the political contract on the foundations of participation, accountability, and pluralism, emphasizing that a Palestinian is not merely a member of a faction, but a holder of an inherent political right. It criticizes the exclusion of independents, academics, and social activists from representation. It demands empowering the Central Elections Commission and ensuring the neutrality of executive institutions. It concludes that the battle over the National Council is a battle over the definition of Palestinian legitimacy, and that restoring the status of the PLO does not come through excluding a party or closed consensus, but through building an institution in which the citizen feels they have a role in its production.