The Palestinian Political Elite and its Impact on the National Unity "The Second Palestinian Legislative Elite as a MODEL"

This study which consists of three chapters addresses the Palestinian political elite with respect to its definition, the intellectual and social requirements of the political elite, and the situation of the Palestinian political elite. It also discusses the idea of the Palestinian national unity and its elements, in addition to the vision by the political elite in the second Palestinian Legislative Council regarding the Palestinian national unity. The impact of the Palestinian political elite was measured through conducting personal interviews. The problem of the study lies in the identification of the impact that the Palestinian political elite in the second Palestinian Legislative Council have made, in addition to the role of the elite in formulating a concept of the Palestinian national unity and transform that into a political project. For this purpose, the study puts down a number of questions regarding the characteristics of the Palestinian political elite in general and the political elite of the Second Palestinian Legislative Council in particular. In addition to this, the study lays questions about the nature of the changes that occurred to the Palestinian political elites after the Oslo Convention and the second Palestinian legislative elections, the concept of the Palestinian national unity, its foundations, and the legislative elections which is considered as one of the major elements of the Palestinian national unity. The significance of the study is to identify the role of elites in the political impasse (the political division and the difficulties of achieving the national reconciliation. Which make it easier to get the desired solution in addition to the effects caused by the elites of the Palestinian legislative second national unity. Other questions are concerned with the duties and authorities of the elite of the Palestinian Legislative Council in light of the political and geographical division, as well as the role that the Second Palestinian Legislative Council’s elite have been played in the issue of the division and national reconciliation talks. The study hypothesizes that the absence of a specific definition of the Palestinian national unity is the reason that made the Palestinian legislative elites unable to transform the slogans of national unity into apolitical project. In order to achieve the study hypothesis , the Elite Approach Methodology and the Descriptive, Analytical Approach to answer the questions of the study and check the validity of the hypothesis through the use of different tools such as individual interviews with members of the Palestinian political elite represented by members of the Second Palestinian Legislative Council have been adopted , in addition to preparing hypothetical framework about the political elite and the national unity. The study has come up with a number of results including the fact that the Palestinian legislative elite was unable to affect the course of the national unity and push it forward as the will of the political party is still stronger and more dominant than that of the elite. Therefore, the hypothesis is upon which the study is established which says that the absence of a specific definition for the national unity has made the Palestinian legislative elites unable to transform its slogans into areal political project has been true in light of the study’s inputs and the results of the individual interviews. Several recommendations have been suggested according to the study results: 1. The pressure on the national legislative elite through institutions and individuals should be intensified in order to enable it restructuring itself again so that it could perform as a unified entity since the unification of the legislative council is the key for making the Palestinian political work successful. 2. Working for formulating a unified, applicable and executable political program that Palestinians could see in the institutions and other areas since the slogans only are no more acceptable.