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The following article will serve as an intro to the notes which will follow. I’ve selected this article because it sums up most (if not all) of the barriers the Palestinians are facing to be in a position to carry on the peace negotiations with Israel.

Anyways…

Taking charge of things
by Daoud Kuttab
16/12/05

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is not in a comfortable position these days. He seems like a nice, fatherly figure in not so nice a neighborhood. He heads a party (or a movement) which has last held a congress of its activists more than 15 years ago.

He is caught between old leaders, most of whom came to Palestine from abroad, and new leaders who had been part of the Intifada. He is the commander in chief who is unable to secure and protect the Central Election Commission offices. He has an Israeli counterpart who pays little attention to him despite his repeated position against the militarisation of the Intifada.

He has to deal with hardline Islamic groups who are caught in a cycle of violence with the Israeli army that doesn’t seem to have any purpose or an end in sight but which certainly serves the hardliners in Israel.

Within Fateh, Abbas is unable to enforce party discipline. He agreed to primaries but had to cancel them in Gaza and Qalqilya when militants from Fateh were unhappy with the way the process was going. In some areas, the primaries were cancelled but then they were back on. He promised that he would honour the results of the primaries, but that he will make the final decision. He asked to have the right to choose the top ten on the Fateh list, then he asked to have the right to choose the top five, in the end he was unable to insist on a single Fateh list as two lists (both headed by Barghouthi) were submitted.

On the security level, he has failed the Palestinian public who has yet to see any serious attempt to put an end to the lawlessness that has prevailed, especially in Gaza. A day before the deadline for nominations, the front page of Al Quds showed a photo of masked men, connected to his own party’s Al Aqsa Brigades, taking over the Central Elections Commission offices, in Gaza, taking out the computers into the street in a clear sign of defiance to his and the PA’s security. It was not the first act of its kind. This sort of thuggery has been going on for some time. Few, if any, have been arrested, charged or imprisoned.

With the Islamic groups Abu Mazen has failed to rein them in despite help from the Egyptians. The Cairo agreement for a long period of quiet is about to run out and although it seems that at least Hamas will extend the tahdiaa (quiet), Islamic Jihad and the Israeli army seem bent on an extended fight which doesn’t seem to be connected to any clear and tangible results.

Sure, Jihad, like most Palestinians, would like to end the occupation, but it is not clear how their haphazard actions and retaliations will produce that. Nor is it clear what the Israelis want since they clearly know that there is no military solution here. Palestinians have often argued that the higher Palestinian interest must be respected and in this area, the most recent public opinion poll shows a clear Palestinian majority in favour of the continuation of the quiet. Abu Mazen is not able or willing to do much more than arrest a few junior Islamic Jihad activists.

While the problems within Fateh and the lack of security are exposing Abbas’ weakness, these problems pale in comparison to the problems he has with the Israelis. His election by the Palestinian people on a peace platform has done little to convince the Sharon government that there indeed are partners on the Palestinian side.

Abbas has been unable to get any substantive concession from the Israelis, be it regarding checkpoints, the release of the thousands of prisoners held without court or trial or even to have the Israelis meet him face to face. The Israelis have continued their unilateral actions and their refusal to even agree on the basis of a ceasefire. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon withdrew from Gaza without ever meeting a senior Palestinian official. Even the permission for the limited opening of the Rafah crossing only occurred a few months later, and after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice decided to put her reputation on the line. That US-Israel-Palestine Agreement is causing problems to the Israelis who have refused to allow a caravan of busses to transport Palestinians from Gaza to the West Bank and back, as agreed upon on Dec. 15. A senior Israeli source told this writer that they are under pressure to honour that portion of the agreement because it has the signature of the US. He said that barring any attacks, the Gaza-West Bank caravan might be permitted to operate by the first of the year.
The following article will serve as an intro to the notes which will follow. I’ve selected this article because it sums up most (if not all) of the barriers the Palestinians are facing to be in a position to carry on the peace negotiations with Israel.
For Palestinians, and especially for Fateh activists, Jan. 1 is an important date because it marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of Fateh. If indeed the caravan is allowed passage then, it will be a small gift to Abbas before the Jan. 25 legislative elections. He, however, can’t depend on small gifts here and there. The time has come for him to establish himself as head of the Fateh movement, as the commander in chief of the Palestinian forces and as the Palestinian representative in bilateral and multilateral talks.

While there are many issues that can and should be delegated, issues of national security and negotiations are the domain of the president. If he doesn’t take charge in areas that the average Palestinian can see, he will soon be bypassed by a younger, more assertive leaders.

So, what do we have here?

1. Leadership problem. We have too many? Or no one? I think it is mix of both. Islamic leadership, and Fateh, which is now divided to two, which actually leads to the second point
2. Old guards vs. new generation of leaders. This is not new issue, however it is pocking its head very clearly now. Repeated many time since the Al-Aqsa Intifada. The old generation is not giving the new one, enough space of presentation. Why? You can guess. Maybe Power and corruption?!
3. National Security issue? What security? The national security. Yes, we have to admit. We don’t respect any security authority. One can ask which authority? And here comes the problem. Every group and sub groups and sub sub group, claims that they are the Law. Not to mention the private militias of this leader and that leader both of which are suppose to be members of the same party (movement). And we are asking for security? If we do not respect our own national laws, who would trust that anyone would respect a peace treaty?
4. No Israeli attention. And I don’t blame them for everything. They have their own problems, beside the conflict that we ’share’. They have their own hardliners, politician agendas, national interests, beside the security issue, which unfortunately, our extremist hardliner Islamic groups are intentionally and/or unintentionally are causing. Next point?
5. Hardliner Islamic group. Uncontrolled by the Palestinian Authority (PA), and they have no clear agenda or peace plan. What they want is not clear. All what we see from them is criticizing the PA, and sending suicide bombers or firing rockets on Israelis. Why? And what will it serve? And how/whom it is helping? God only knows! In fact we know. It helps to prolong the conflict endlessly, until… when?… Armageddon maybe? This is actually the sixth point
6. Unnecessary/unjustified violence. Retaliation and revenge? Ok, you did. So, the Israelis will do the same if not worse. What are they going to achieve? Do they think that they will win a military solution? As I said in previous point. God knows!
7. Then comes the hash-hash democracy. “You elect, I’ll decide.” And that’s a problem from two sides, internally and externally. While the president thinks he has the right to do this, comes another problem from outside were US and EU warns that they will stop their funds to PA. Should we expect them to fund our Islamic leaders? Of course not. But the question is, why are the Islamic front winning the seats? Simply, their opponent is divided on each other, therefore absent from the influence field.
8. Public opinion favor quite and peace. But that does not mean submitting to injustice by Israel and the PA. Similar thing is happening in Israel. Uri Avnery, a long-time Israeli peace activist, may have highlighted a perplexing situation here. He wrote: “For years now an abnormal situation has prevailed in Israel and driven social scientists crazy: According to all public opinion polls, most of the (Israeli) public wants peace and is prepared to make almost all the necessary concessions, but in the Knesset this position has hardly been represented at all.”
9. The PA is not able or willing to do much to arrest the extremist activists as well those outlaws. Conflict of interest? I doubt it, I think it is worse than that. Our people are suffering from this. You can hear their complains every time they appear on the TV. Clearly, they say, aside from the occupation, our national security system is paralyzed and useful for nothing in general. We saw that n’ number of time on TV. A punch of armed men, kidnapping, killing, etc… Anything was done to stop them? I guess very very little. Any hope to do more? We just can hope and wish.
10. The PA could not prove to Israeli (as well Palestinians) people that they can be partners in peace. Failing to control our people is a disaster. Israel is to blame? Maybe, but that is not enough reason to hide behind, and Hamas/Jihad do not listen to anyone. They have their own agenda, which unfortunately does not lead to peace. And they are a big chunk of our community, and they are disturbing everyone, and they are uncontrolled.

    One can say, if Israel ends up the occupation, they (Hamas and Jihad) will stop. I say, are we fooling ourselves? Look at Hezbollah in Lebanon. Does that give you a hint? Hamas and Jihad do not accept/believe in any of the UN resolutions or the peace treaties. So, will they stop? No, they will not. Not if we got to 1967 borders. Not even 1948.

11. No Israeli concessions to ease some sensitive issue like checkpoints and prisoners and Israeli unilateral actions. While this is not new, but again, can we blame them, ONLY? No, we carry a big share of the blame due to all of the above.

So, the political stakes are certainly high in Palestine, and Israel. Both are simultaneously gripped by election fever, all holding the possibility of a much-needed facelift for the region that could usher in a peaceful era.

One result that has raised many eyebrows, are the (un)expected gains scored by the Hamas. I don’t see this more than a protest vote against the PA, whose standing will be judged by how they handle their own problem before it handles Hamas movement upsurge in popularity.

I say: Clean house first, then ask for peace. Unfortunately, I don’t see any improvement in the near future, but one can only wish.

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