Publication

The PLO today is on the verge of being democratically reconstituted. Although it might be optimistic to expect PNC elections as soon as May 2012, the political distance between Fatah and Hamas has narrowed as internationalization has become Fatah's new political strategy, while Hamas seeks to express a moderate face in order to be part of the Islamist democratic momentum and not compromise ideological sister parties in the region. Rather than working against a democratized PLO within which popular support may make Hamas a main actor, this paper suggests that Western governments should work to facilitate free and fair PLO elections.