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In an apparent response to the revolutionary fever sweeping the Middle East, the entire Palestinian Cabinet in the West Bank resigned collectively yesterday and called for elections. Most of the cabinet members were from President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Party. The President has struggled in recent weeks to retain his legitimacy in the wake of the Palestine Papers – leaked documents which showed the PA’s willingness to compromise with Israel on matters dear to most Palestinians. However, there have been no new elections since 2006 and the Cabinet was essentially in place past the end of their terms. Local elections have now been called for this July. In addition to an attempt at bolstering the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority in the midst of regional turmoil, the reshuffle is also thought to be part of Prime Minister Salaam Fayad’s plan to build up Palestinian infrastructure in the lead up to an eventual declaration of statehood. How have recent events in the Palestinian Territories been shaped by the events in Tunisia, Egypt, and elsewhere?

GUESTS: Leila El Haddad, Palestinian journalist, political analyst, blogger, and author of Gaza Mom: Palestine, Politics, Parenting and Everything in Between, Naseer Aruri, Chancellor Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, author of several books including Dishonest Broker: America’s Role in Israel and Palestine, and Palestine and the Palestinians: A Social and Political History