Jun 02 2006
The need for a referendum
Daoud Kuttab
The assignment the editors at Al Quds Educational television gave their reporter seemed simple: Go out and assess the public’s reaction to the suggestion by President Mahmoud Abbas to hold a referendum based on the Palestinian prisoners’ agreement.
Normally filming vox pox (short reactions of people in the street) takes twenty minutes. This time, Numan Kabaah, who was given this assignment, found it difficult to record on video 8-10 reactions representing different points of view. After almost two hours and 20 interviews, Numan couldn’t show a single Palestinian who was opposed to the referendum. Shifting from Rukab street in Ramallah to Manara Square and closer to Al Bireh produce market, he could find no one against a plebiscite that could put an end to the ongoing controversy in Palestine .