Hamas participation in polls aims at ending siege

By Ola Atallah and Ali Abo Rezeg

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – The recent decision by Hamas to take part in upcoming Palestinian municipal polls reflects the group’s understanding of political realities regarding the decade-long embargo of the Gaza Strip, say experts.

"Many observers had thought that Hamas would not allow -- or participate -- in local elections," Mukhaimar Abu Saada, a political science professor at Gaza City’s Al-Azhar University, said.

"But it seems Hamas has taken the decision [to take part in the poll] in order to break the siege on Gaza," Abu Saada told Anadolu Agency.

Hamas on Wednesday announced its intention to compete in upcoming polls set for October.

"We call on the Palestinians to participate in the elections," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told Anadolu Agency.

"The polls will help guarantee that the Palestinian people receive the public services they need," he said.

The announcement came only a few days after the group -- which has governed the blockaded Gaza Strip since 2007 -- said it would allow local polls to be held in the territory.

"We affirm the importance of conducting local elections in the [Israeli-occupied] West Bank and Gaza Strip," Hamas said in a statement issued last Friday.

"We will spare no effort to facilitate the holding of these elections in line with the interests of the Palestinian people," the group added.

Hamas boycotted the last Palestinian municipal polls in 2012 due to ongoing differences between the Gaza-based group and the West Bank-based Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

This time around, Hamas plans to nominate candidates who will run on a list of "technocrats" and prominent tribal figures with expertise in municipal affairs, especially the provision of public services.

On Sunday, senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh met with Hanna Naser, the head of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission, to discuss preparations for the upcoming polls.

Following the meeting, Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayah said that the group would "work to facilitate the upcoming local elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with a view to ensuring their success".

- Sending message

According to Abu Saada, Hamas’ decision to take part in the polls "is intended to send a message to the international community that it respects democracy and the ballot box".

Abu Saada also believes that Hamas’ participation in the polls will test the popularity of the group, which has continued to pursue a policy of resistance to Israel and -- unlike Abbas’ Fatah movement -- eschews negotiations with the Jewish state as unrealistic and pointless.

Hamas believes the emergence of technocratic municipal officials in Gaza may lead the international community to reconsider the ongoing siege of the coastal enclave, which was first put in place following the group’s electoral victory over Fatah in 2006 Palestinian legislative polls.

"Hamas doesn’t want to renew the clash with the international community that followed its victory in the 2006 elections," Abu Saada said. "For this reason, the group has decided to take part in the polls by backing ‘technocrat’ candidates."

He went on to describe Hamas’ decision to participate in the polls as a "positive development".

Since 2007, the Hamas-run Gaza Strip has groaned under a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade that has deprived its roughly 1.9 million inhabitants of staple commodities, including food, fuel, medicine and building materials.

Despite the devastating impact of the siege on Gaza’s humanitarian situation, the international community -- with a few notable exceptions, including Turkey -- has quietly condoned the embargo.

- Breaking deadlock

Prominent Palestinian political analyst Adnan Abu Amer, for his part, believes the upcoming polls will ultimately serve to alleviate the suffering of the Gaza Strip’s hapless population.

"They could give fresh impetus to the process of providing relief and humanitarian assistance to Gaza," he told Anadolu Agency.

"By taking part in the polls, it’s clear that Hamas wants to break the years of political deadlock in the Palestinian arena," he said.

"Hamas is prepared to transcend its narrow political interests with a view to guaranteeing the provision of public services to the Gazan population," the analyst asserted.

He added: "After ten years of isolation, Hamas now realizes the international community will never accept it as it is [i.e., as a supporter of resistance to Israel]. Therefore, it has chosen to take part in the polls by fielding ‘technocratic’ electoral lists."

In 2014, Hamas and Fatah signed a long-awaited reconciliation agreement that called for the formation of a Palestinian unity government tasked with overseeing Palestinian legislative and presidential polls.

Although the unity government was unveiled two months later, it has yet to take on a governing role in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, while the relationship between Hamas and Fatah remains beset by a host of outstanding differences that have largely stymied any political progress.