Although several sources reported that independent candidate Jonathan Kuttab was elected to the Palestinian Council in January-including Sojourners (see "Between the Lines," March-April 1996), the Israeli military, and National Public Radio-when the final votes were tallied, Kuttab had actually lost a close race.
The Palestinian human rights lawyer told Sojourners that "the campaign was marked by many public meetings where Palestinians vigorously questioned the candidates and showed that they were thirsty for genuine democracy and participation in determining their own future. One of the paradoxes of the election was the overwhelming support that Yasir Arafat got which went side by side with the clear indication by the masses of their desire for democratic rule and their rejection of the type of regime that prevails in many of the Arab countries."
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