US Election: What if Palestinians could vote?

July 31, 2016

By Noga Tarnopolsky

JERUSALEM — As part of GlobalPost's project to interview 100 people in 20 locations around the world about the 2012 US election, we asked Palestinians:

Who do you want to win the 2012 US election?

Will the election affect your country?

How has your opinion of the US changed since Barack Obama took office?

What should the next president do?

Palestinian Territories
Name: Nihan Abdul Rahman
Occupation: Homemaker
Age: 32
I would vote for: Obama

My vote: "Obama! Because he speaks Arabic."

The election's impact: "[The president] decides for us. He decides everything."

My view: "If I was interested in the news, maybe, but I know they have many nice things, but I don't read the papers, so I don't know, and we don't talk about it."

Top priority: "To make peace between Israelis and Arabs. No more wars."

Palestinian Territories
Name: Ahmad Takish
Occupation: Baker
Age: 66
I would vote for: Obama

My vote: "Obama, [but he] is sitting on the fence. He doesn't know what to do."

The election's impact: "It is the same."

My view: "It is not good. Israel is above, and us, we're way down."

Top Priority: "We need someone who lays down the law, and Obama, he only loves Israel."

Palestinian Territories
Name: Hamidi Lajlouni
Occupation: Shop owner
Age: 32
I would vote for: Undecided

My vote: "Don't know."

The election's impact "In every way!"

My view: "The Obama years have been good years for them."

Top priority: "He has to be not for Israelis, and not for Palestinians. He has to be for peace."

Palestinian Territories
Name: Aladhin Ghazawi
Occupation: Chef's assistant
Age: 23
I would vote for: Obama

My vote: "Obama. I like Obama."

The election's impact: "Yes I don't know how, but yes."

My view: "It has improved. I think he is doing a good job and he doesn't differentiate between Americans,
Palestinians and Israelis."

Top priority: "He must work to bring the Palestinians and the Israelis together."

Palestinian Territories
Name: Shahdi El Khatid
Occupation: Dairy truck driver
Age: 24
I would vote for: Neither

My vote: "No one. They are all the same. Obama said he will help the Palestinians and he has done nothing. We've seen nothing from him. There are only two good presidents: Hassan Nasrallah. He says something and he does it. And Yasser Arafat. All the others, America just plays chess with them."

The election's impact: None.

My view: None.

Top priority: "We're not saying Israel should get out of here, but they say peace and they fire at gaza. There will
be no peace this way."

GlobalPost series: See what the world thinks about election 2012

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