Abbas makes an insincere move
Illustration by Nino Jose Heredia/Gulf News
December 19, 2006
By Manal Alafrangi, Gulf News Staff Writer
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is at the receiving end of major American pressure, has proven himself to be a disingenuous leader.
That he chose to intentionally take his disagreements with Hamas to the streets and rooftops of Gaza is confirmation that his main concerns lie not in the well-being of the people but for his unending quest and maintenance of power.
The common perception that Fatah is headed by men (age 70 and over) who refuse to give up their roles or the benefits they enjoy is also very pertinent here.
Abbas never tried to camouflage his disappointment at losing to the Islamist organisation in last January's elections. We have seen his attempts at destroying Hamas intensify within recent months but especially since US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited the region last month.
Unfortunate
It is unfortunate that the latest bloody clashes between Hamas and Fatah members are threatening not only the Palestinian people, but also any existing plans of ending the Israeli occupation and moving towards the attainment of independence and Palestinianhood.
Fatah has clearly deviated from the Palestinian common goal by actively engaging in a campaign to discredit its Islamist "brothers"; the clashes of the past week have been the worst for 10 years.
Without any regard for consensus between Palestinian groups, Abbas unilaterally announced his decision to call for early elections, thus proving he is governed not by the national interest of his people but by pitiful political calculations and international guidance that comes from the US, Israel, and to a much lesser extent, Europe.
The question is, how can Abbas attempt to replace a government he does not lead or even represent?
For a long time now, the Palestinian National Authority lost its credibility for failing to provide any sort of a way forward for the Palestinian case, whether it is, addressing Israeli occupation, resolving the question of Palestinian refugees, ending the expansion of colonies on Palestinian land, or securing Eastern part of occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine (not to mention the construction of the illegal wall on Palestinian land).
Today, more than ever, the PNA comes across as a failed entity as far as governing and ruling is concerned. They do not even possess a clear definition of the dictated "roadmap" and where it is leading.
The sense of lawlessness across Palestine which is directly linked to the devious work of Palestinian militias can be attributed to the Fatah party. For the acting prime minister to be shot at in an assassination attempt by a group associated with Fatah (which resulted in injuring his bodyguard and eldest son) is but a blatant attempt at shaking the Islamist organisation and it sends a bitter message across.
Why aren't we hearing confessions by Abbas regarding his failures as president, negotiator, and one of the endorsers and authors of the Oslo accords?
After all, it was Abbas and Company who agreed on immense concessions that have cost the Palestinians irreparable damages. These are the same people who couldn't even get Israel to admit that it is an occupier! But they've criticised Hamas for not recognising their occupiers.
Fatah is laying the blame for the collapse of talks on forming a unity government entirely on Hamas but this is hardly the case. Hamas, which refuses to recognise Israel and previously endorsed agreements, has offered Israel a 10-year-truce but to no avail.
Not factored
At minimum, it is known that Fatah and Hamas both need to make compromises for the sake of meeting somewhere in the middle but this has not factored in Fatah calculations. It is not difficult at present to realise that Fatah's way of dealing with Israel and its Western allies has unquestionably failed.
Keeping that in mind, Hamas, which is accused of failing to govern, deserves a fair chance sans the economic embargo and internal fighting.
What is alarming at this point is the fact that this coup attempt is so blatant there is no longer a need for cover up.
It is being done so openly and arrogantly to the extent that even the Israelis are "showing support" for Abbas and his party members.
Everyone, including the president, knows that holding early elections constitutes a coup against the legitimacy as embodied by the parliamentary elections that brought the Hamas government to power.
It seems there is a trap being set up for the two Palestinian factions, with Fatah unsurprisingly succumbing to Israeli and Western pressure at the expense of the well-being of the Palestinian people and the stability of the Palestinian territories.
Unless this crisis is addressed with maturity and seriousness, the Hamas-Fatah conflict could end up having a deep impact equal to the one they have with their occupiers- and that is exactly what their enemy wants to see.
By Manal Alafrangi, Gulf News Staff Writer
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is at the receiving end of major American pressure, has proven himself to be a disingenuous leader.
That he chose to intentionally take his disagreements with Hamas to the streets and rooftops of Gaza is confirmation that his main concerns lie not in the well-being of the people but for his unending quest and maintenance of power.
The common perception that Fatah is headed by men (age 70 and over) who refuse to give up their roles or the benefits they enjoy is also very pertinent here.
Abbas never tried to camouflage his disappointment at losing to the Islamist organisation in last January's elections. We have seen his attempts at destroying Hamas intensify within recent months but especially since US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited the region last month.
Unfortunate
It is unfortunate that the latest bloody clashes between Hamas and Fatah members are threatening not only the Palestinian people, but also any existing plans of ending the Israeli occupation and moving towards the attainment of independence and Palestinianhood.
Fatah has clearly deviated from the Palestinian common goal by actively engaging in a campaign to discredit its Islamist "brothers"; the clashes of the past week have been the worst for 10 years.
Without any regard for consensus between Palestinian groups, Abbas unilaterally announced his decision to call for early elections, thus proving he is governed not by the national interest of his people but by pitiful political calculations and international guidance that comes from the US, Israel, and to a much lesser extent, Europe.
The question is, how can Abbas attempt to replace a government he does not lead or even represent?
For a long time now, the Palestinian National Authority lost its credibility for failing to provide any sort of a way forward for the Palestinian case, whether it is, addressing Israeli occupation, resolving the question of Palestinian refugees, ending the expansion of colonies on Palestinian land, or securing Eastern part of occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine (not to mention the construction of the illegal wall on Palestinian land).
Today, more than ever, the PNA comes across as a failed entity as far as governing and ruling is concerned. They do not even possess a clear definition of the dictated "roadmap" and where it is leading.
The sense of lawlessness across Palestine which is directly linked to the devious work of Palestinian militias can be attributed to the Fatah party. For the acting prime minister to be shot at in an assassination attempt by a group associated with Fatah (which resulted in injuring his bodyguard and eldest son) is but a blatant attempt at shaking the Islamist organisation and it sends a bitter message across.
Why aren't we hearing confessions by Abbas regarding his failures as president, negotiator, and one of the endorsers and authors of the Oslo accords?
After all, it was Abbas and Company who agreed on immense concessions that have cost the Palestinians irreparable damages. These are the same people who couldn't even get Israel to admit that it is an occupier! But they've criticised Hamas for not recognising their occupiers.
Fatah is laying the blame for the collapse of talks on forming a unity government entirely on Hamas but this is hardly the case. Hamas, which refuses to recognise Israel and previously endorsed agreements, has offered Israel a 10-year-truce but to no avail.
Not factored
At minimum, it is known that Fatah and Hamas both need to make compromises for the sake of meeting somewhere in the middle but this has not factored in Fatah calculations. It is not difficult at present to realise that Fatah's way of dealing with Israel and its Western allies has unquestionably failed.
Keeping that in mind, Hamas, which is accused of failing to govern, deserves a fair chance sans the economic embargo and internal fighting.
What is alarming at this point is the fact that this coup attempt is so blatant there is no longer a need for cover up.
It is being done so openly and arrogantly to the extent that even the Israelis are "showing support" for Abbas and his party members.
Everyone, including the president, knows that holding early elections constitutes a coup against the legitimacy as embodied by the parliamentary elections that brought the Hamas government to power.
It seems there is a trap being set up for the two Palestinian factions, with Fatah unsurprisingly succumbing to Israeli and Western pressure at the expense of the well-being of the Palestinian people and the stability of the Palestinian territories.
Unless this crisis is addressed with maturity and seriousness, the Hamas-Fatah conflict could end up having a deep impact equal to the one they have with their occupiers- and that is exactly what their enemy wants to see.
posted by HRM Deborah of Israel and the Messenger of Peace at 9:42 PM
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