On Monday night, Feb. 25 Knesset member Ahmad Tibi made his way from Ramallah to his second home in east Jerusalem’s Beit Hanina neighborhood, after spending most of the day recording promotional broadcasts for the Palestinian reality show "The Rais."

Outside the studio the streets were still raging in the wake of the death of prisoner Arafat Jaradat in the Meggido prison. Tibi told me he thinks that the riots breaking out in the West Bank are harbingers of the renewal of a popular Palestinian struggle. This kind of development, he says, will surely make "The Rais" a hit.

"The Rais" is the first reality show to be screened on a Palestinian satellite station. In a few days, the promos will blanket the streets of the West Bank, Gaza and Jordan, thus reaching millions of viewers. Nevertheless, Tibi does not need exposure. Already he is a popular figure on the Palestinian street and in the entire area. He was cast for the role due to his close familiarity with Yasser Arafat, the first Rais, whom he had served as a special consultant, and for his close contacts with the current president, Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas).

In the program, Tibi is one of the judges of a team called the “Council of Sages.” They will choose one contestant out of 1,200 youths (half girls, half boys) who will compete for the title of “President of the Palestinian State.” Three other judges on the team are Palestinian legislator Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, Minister of Social Affairs Dr. Majida al-Masri and Ammar Aker, CEO of Jawwal Palestine Cellular Communications company in the West Bank.