What is next for Palestine?
It is time for a new beginning.
US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital came as no surprise to most Palestinians, for, after all the US' political backing and military funding of Israel is older than the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Trump's decision, however, has exposed the "peace process" for the last time as a complete charade. It also exposed the Palestinian leadership as corrupt, subservient and politically bankrupt.
If the Palestinian leadership had a minimal degree of accountability, it would immediately undertake a total overhaul within its ranks and activate all Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) institutions, bring all factions together under the umbrella of the PLO and declare a unified strategy inspired by the aspirations and sacrifices of the Palestinian people.
And if Palestinians are to start anew, they have to commence their journey with fresh political discourse, with new political blood, and a new future outlook that is based on unity, credibility and competence. None of this can ever take place with the same old faces, the same tired language and the same dead-end politics.
Since Trump signed the Jerusalem Embassy Law on December 6, many Palestinian intellectuals voiced their ideas about the proper course of action for their leadership and their people.
There has been much talk about a new Palestinian strategy. Palestinian officials have "threatened" to shift the struggle to a one-state solution - as opposed to continuing to pursue the defunct "two-state solution", to exclude the US from the "peace process" and so on; but there are few indications that their discourse is anything but transient and opportunistic.
In this article, I sought the opinion of 14 independent Palestinian intellectuals from across Palestine and the diaspora. Although they subscribe to different ideological schools of thought and come from different generations and locations, they shared a lot of ideas. Palestinians are demanding change, or, in the words of renowned Palestinian historian Salman Abu Sitta - interviewed below - they want to "go back to the roots".
