Will the vote make any difference to Palestinians under Israeli occupation? | election

Local elections are one of the few ways for Palestinians to exercise their democratic rights.

But this weekend’s voting appears to have weakened it.

No ballots were cast in Ramallah and Nablus because there were not enough candidates.

Voter turnout was 25 percent in Deir al-Balah, the only area in Gaza where voting took place.

Most of the candidates were from the Palestinian Authority’s Fatah party and its allies.

Hamas, which controls Gaza, stayed away.

The Palestinian Authority says the elections were for Palestinian unity. Will the vote achieve that goal?

And will it make any difference to Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and violence?

Presenter: imran khan

Guest:

Ahmed Fattouh – Fatah spokesperson

Jalal Aboukhatar – Policy Manager at 7Amleh: Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media

Xavier Abu Eid – political analyst and former communications director of the Palestine Liberation Organization