The role of youth in the Palestinian national movement is not
reflected at the level of leadership and decision-making in a
manner commensurate with what they have offered to the movement in
past years. Palestinian society is considered a young society, made
up to a very large extent (close to 50 percent) of youth, and the
youth have always formed a large majority of the membership in
Palestinian political organizations, especially those under the
aegis of Fatah. Nonetheless, this has not been matched by the
extent of participation of young people in the leadership and
political bodies of Fatah. Indeed, the youth are represented by
only three members out of 450 in the Palestinian National Council,
and these come only from the student unions.
This situation has deepened into a serious gap between the young
generation and the leadership of the Palestinian political
movements, and has discouraged many young people, especially among
the ranks of the leftist political organizations, from an
involvement in any political action. The absence of democracy
within these parties (some of which have been headed by the same
people since the sixties and seventies), has prevented the
injection of new blood into these political movements that have, as
a result, fallen captive to archaic political slogans. In this sort
of vicious cycle, the youth, who are always eager for innovation,
tend to shun such movements.
The Effects of the Intifada
The youth were widely engaged in the organization and leadership of
the Intifada, its striking forces, its popular committees, its
educational and solidarity committees, etc. Young people served in
the unified leadership of the Intifada, which played such an
important role in the uprising, notwithstanding the widespread
notion that it was directed by the "outside" leadership (with the
exception of the Communists, who were based in the occupied
territories).
The Intifada had a very deep impact on Palestinian society, in
general, and the youth, in particular. Young people felt they were
leading the street, breaking the shackles of the authorities to
which thus far they had been confined: the occupation, the family,
the school, the university. The Intifada encouraged their
rebellion. When the uprising subsided, it became increasingly
difficult to bring them back to pre-Intifada days. Hence their
discouragement with, and withdrawal from, political organizations,
especially those on the left. This may have been a factor in the
weakening of the leftist groupings and the decline of the
Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) in the
struggle between the internal and external leadership regarding the
political process. It may have also led to the ambiguous position
the Palestinian People's Party (PPP) took regarding developments on
the ground in the wake of the peace agreements.
Social Standing and Complacency
A second reality that emerged from the Intifada is the sympathy the
international community showed the Palestinian people. This was
often translated in financial backing extended by several countries
and bodies towards the formation of committees and organizations,
in order to address a variety of problems in education, health,
women and children issues, agriculture, the environment, water,
etc. With the end of the Intifada, and, especially with the onset
of the peace process, these organizations have attracted a great
number of aspiring young Palestinians from leftist organizations,
especially the PPP and the DFLP. It is the irony of history that
these youngsters are now getting their salaries in U.S. dollars
from parties and organizations they fought and derided in the past,
especially the World Bank.
By holding jobs in these NGOs (and also in the Palestinian public
sector), the youth of today are confining themselves to working on
aid programs, carrying out research work and organizing training
activities. More than anything, what we see today is complacency on
the part of these young people arising from what they perceive as
their newly acquired affluence and social standing, expressed in
smart clothing, briefcases, cellular phones, and their frequent
travels abroad to attend conferences and seminars. All this seems
to have taken the bite out of their former revolutionary spirit and
confrontational enthusiasm.
The Fruits of Peace - A Slow Tempo
This political apathy among the youth is nowadays reinforced by the
lack of clarity at all levels of the political process, especially
concerning the non-implementation of agreements - even the
renegotiation of signed ones - as well as the skepticism and
despondency regarding the possibility of a solution to the
contentious issues like that of the Palestine refugees. In short,
the absence of achievement on the ground and the non-fulfillment of
expectations since the onset of the negotiations have exacerbated
the impatience of the youth. The slow tempo of political progress
is preventing them from reaping the long-awaited fruits of peace
for which they have struggled and sacrificed the best years of
their life. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the youth is
increasingly disinterested in the political process and in its
day-to-day affairs.
The Palestinians need to review their strategy regarding the youth,
not only because they are the future, but because their situation
reflects the existence of many painful truths of a more general
nature that need to be addressed very seriously. One important
issue is exemplified by the results of a public opinion poll
recently carried out by the Center for Palestine Research and
Studies (Nablus). The answer to a question dealing with the desire
of the youth to emigrate was overwhelmingly in the affirmative. The
large majority of these youngsters seeking to emigrate comes from
leftist or Islamic movements, or from refugee camps. In
industrialized countries, the reasons for emigration can be
attributed to a desire on the part of the youth for a change in the
daily routine, to a search for a new experience, or to an
expression of a sense of individuality or independence. In
Palestine, I do not think these are the reasons.