Palestinian Legislative Council – Keeper of an Empty Void

Nader El Atrash is the security director of the Palestinian Legislative Council, an elected body intended to be the Palestinian parliament. The PLC was established under the Oslo accords, and was intended to replace the Palestinian Authority as the governing power. The first elections were held in 1996 — they were boycotted by the Islamist Hamas party. Elections were held again in 2006, which Hamas won. Following the elections, bitter factional fighting broke out, Hamas took control of Gaza, and many Hamas PLC members in the West Bank were imprisoned by Israeli (or the Palestinian Authority). The council never convened. Today, El Atrash watches over the PLC assembly chambers in Ramallah, optimistically planning for a refurnishing of the chamber for an expanded slate of delegates.