[This interview with NPR's 1A podcast contains a discussion between Yousef Munayyer, head of the Palestine-Israel Program and Senior Fellow at Arab Center, Khaled Elgindy, Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, and Jadaliyya Co-Editor Sherene Seikaly, Associate Professor of History at UC Santa Barbara, on Palestinian leadership and how war and displacement have shaped the lives of Palestinians.]
Since Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7, a lot has been said about the militant and political group and whether or not they represent the Palestinian people. Hamas has been declared a terrorist group by dozens of countries, including the United States. And many Palestinians in Gaza think the political party is corrupt. The Palestinian Liberation Organization, which controls the West Bank and is led by Mahmoud Abbas, has condemned Hamas's violence. It's been over 15 years since the last parliamentary election that brought Hamas to power, one that many Palestinians weren't old enough to vote in. We discuss how Palestinian leadership and how war and displacement have shaped the lives of Palestinians