Fatah-Hamas Dispute Delays Student Elections at Palestinian Universities

Hebron University and Al-Najah University, both in the West Bank, suspended their student council elections. The indefinite postponement of these elections coincides with rising tensions in the Fatah-Hamas dispute for student government. Student elections in the West Bank often use a proportional representation system, and the electoral lists for candidates have been faction-affiliated over the past few years. For example, the student council election in March at Birzeit University, another school in the West Bank, marked a particularly significant transition as students elected a majority Hamas student government for the first time. The Islamic Hamas student victory over the secular Fatah students was unexpected at Birzeit, the oldest Palestinian academic institution where liberal views generally prevail.

The campus of Birzeit University, whose students elected a majority-Hamas government in March.

The results were especially shocking because it coincided with the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) arrest of Hamas student activists. In 2015, PA forces detained at least four students for interrogation. “It is deeply worrying that students are being held by Palestinian forces for no apparent reason other than their connection to Hamas or their opinions,” opined Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East and North Africa Director for Human Rights Watch. Two of these students were allegedly beaten and mistreated during their detainment.

Adnan Al-Dimiri, Spokesman for PA Security Services in the West Bank, defended the arrests. “We never arrest people for their speech or for their political affiliations,” he said. Although he indicated that students were detained on charges of sectarian violence and criminal charges, Human Rights Watch reported that the PA provided no evidence in the cases.

Some analysts claim that the Birzeit election indicates larger public discontent with policies of the PA and shifting preferences toward Hamas. In an official statement, Hamas claimed that the victory signals support for the organization’s strength and armed resistance against Israel.

More recently, Hebron University’s administration decided on September 5 to base elections on an individual candidacy system. The approach would forbid any candidates tied to political factions from running. The dean of student affairs declared that the new system would be more inclusive after removing political dimensions.

Hamas representatives, however, are skeptical. They suspect that the administration’s decision was a response to the recent Birzeit election. Samira Halayqa, a Hamas representative at the Palestinian Legislative Council in Hebron, said, “This decision stems from the university's political motives and because it is being pressured by the PA to prevent Hamas from regaining its strength in the university.”

Students are also concerned that the administration’s decision could weaken the student government and eliminate a counterbalance to the administration on matters such as increasing fees. Due to these rising tensions over the new rules, Hebron administrators suspended the election until the student blocs agree on the new decision.

Al-Najah University has not held student elections since 2013. According to Abdul Sattar Qassem, a professor at the university who has been detained and harassed by Palestinian forces for his political views, “[Al-Najah] did not hold elections in recent years, perhaps out of fear of the PA nominees losing to the Islamist movements.”

Local elections in the West Bank are already following the trend of student government elections. On October 8, the PA postponed elections for up to four months. Hamas leaders and political writers have denounced this decision, too, as politically biased, and have accused the PA of buying time to avoid defeat.