Hamas bloc wins over student vote in Birzeit University elections
April 28, 2016 10:03 A.M. (Updated: April 28, 2016 4:35 P.M.)
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=771319

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- A student bloc of the Hamas movement on Wednesday came
out on top in the closely-followed elections at Birzeit University in the
occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

Following debates between factions vying for the student vote, the pro-Hamas
al-Wafaa Islamic bloc claimed victory after gaining 25 seats, with the
Yasser Arafat bloc of the Fatah movement trailing behind with 21 seats.

The bloc representing Leftist movement Palestinian Front for the Liberation
of Palestine (PFLP) for its part came out with five seats, while other
leftist parties including the Democratic Front for the Liberation of
Palestine and the Palestinian People’s Party did not receive enough votes to
garner a seat.

Voter turnout was reported as 76 percent of the student body,

The Islamic bloc last year won elections for the first time since 2007 at
the historically staunchly pro-Fatah campus, taking observers by surprise.

As this year marked ten years since the last national elections, university
elections are seen as important indicators of public opinion by political
commentators in Palestine and Birzeit is considered to be the most important
campus in the yearly political contests.

The Hamas movement congratulated the Islamic bloc for its win at Birzeit and
said the victory was an indicator that the movement still had strong sway
among the Palestinian public.

The Gaza-based movement said the win came despite efforts by both the
Israeli authorities and Palestinian Authority to suppress the Hamas vote,
citing the detention of Student Council President Saif al-Islam Daghlas and
other students.

Human Rights Watch last year slammed the PA for detaining Palestinian
university students across the West Bank after elections “for no apparent
reason other than their connection to Hamas or their opinions.”

Hamas’ victory over Fatah comes as the rival factions have shown continued
failure to follow through with attempts to form a unity government since
April 2014, after being on cold terms since 2006 when Hamas won the
Palestinian legislative elections.

In the following year, violent clashes erupted between Fatah and Hamas,
leaving Hamas in control of Gaza and Fatah in control of the occupied West
Bank.

Factional disputes between Palestinian factions have been on the rise since
a wave of unrest erupted across the occupied Palestinian territory in
October.


Hamas and PFLP in particular have lambasted the PA’s ongoing security
coordination with Israel as an alleged attempt to quash resistance against
the Israeli occupation, while Hamas last summer accused the PA of attempting
to eradicate the movement from the West Bank.

Elections haven’t been held in the occupied Palestinian territory for ten
years and the public has grown increasingly disillusioned with Palestinian
political parties.


Frustration has grown among the youth in particular, with growing numbers
showing preference for participating in demonstrations or resistance that
are not affiliated with any political party.