Palestinian youth activism: new actors, new possibilities?

As the Palestinian national leadership remains divided and ineffective, it is natural to look to youth activism for renewal. Although young Palestinians are as a rule alienated from politics, there are pockets of dedicated activists who are able to mobilise widely from time to time and who have a fresh vision of the struggle for liberation from Israeli occupation. Their demands are for national unity, an end to coordination and dialogue with Israeli authorities, and a renewed, representative national leadership in the form of a revived Palestinian National Council. There is evidence of integration among these scattered milieus, but it has not yet reached a level where they engage in sustained national organisation. However, in the event of continued cooperation between leftist and Fatah youth activists in the West Bank, there is a possibility that young people may gain a voice in Palestinian politics.