Exclusive: Islamic Jihad Rethinks Role In Palestinian Politics
In the second of four exclusive reports from Gaza on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, Asmaa al-Ghoul reports on the movement's greater involvement in Palestinian civic and political life, including municipal elections.
For decades, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement said that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) did not represent it, since the former was at odds with the factions that politically and intellectually constitute the PLO — until the 2005 Cairo agreement altered this stance. The PIJ agreed with the rest of the factions, including Hamas, to develop and activate the PLO according to a consensual basis, so as to comprise all factions. Words were translated into actions when in 2012, the PIJ participated in the reform sessions and announced that it would take part in the National Council elections.
Last February, and for the first time ever, the PIJ encouraged its members to enlist in the electoral register. This was another sign of change in the movement’s political stance, showing that it was moving toward becoming more engaged in Palestinian civic and political life.
The PIJ and the PLO
Khaled al-Batesh, a leader in the PIJ, believes that engaging with the PLO does not mean potential participation in the parliamentary or presidential elections, since the likelihood of political engagement is far off as long as the national authority and current governments are the fruits of the Oslo Accords, which recognize the state of Israel. Batesh believes that political partnership will only be possible after giving up on the Oslo Accords and espousing another reference.
