Opinion Editorials, July 2007
|
|
Mahmoud Abbas and the Undemocratic Road to Defeat
By James Brooks
ccun.org, July 17, 2007
When the current Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) first “met” on March 6, 2006 (via videoconference, thanks to Israel’s travel restrictions), the Palestinian Authority embarked on the final phase of its struggle to become a democratic proto-state. This was to be the first government formed under the new Palestinian constitution, the Basic Law passed by the PLC in 1998 and finally signed by President Arafat in 2002.
The government envisioned by the constitution is a dramatic departure from the autocratic days of Arafat. The bulk of practical state power, including “public order and internal security”, is expressly assigned to the Council of Ministers, the prime minister’s cabinet. The president has the power to hire and fire the PM, approve the cabinet, and declare states of emergency, but is otherwise little mentioned in the document.
When the Basic Law was drafted during the 1990s, Fateh dominated the PA. Its authors may have hoped its democratic processes and responsibilities would reform their party as well as their government. They could not have foreseen that when the Articles finally came to life, it would be too late for Fateh to benefit as expected. Nor could they have known that the constitution would be threatened at birth because Hamas had been elected to lead the government.
The legal obligation facing President Abbas sixteen months ago was to respect the new division of powers enunciated in the constitution. This was also his duty to the people, who had long demanded democratic reform and an end to one man-one clique rule.
But Abbas was given excuses to escape this obligation. Washington forbade him to cooperate with the elected Hamas government. A brutal economic excuse was supplied by the western powers’ embargo against the PA. And, since he and his cronies had negotiated away control of the PA’s tax revenues in the Oslo Accords, Israel was able to illegally seize the PA’s money when the Hamas government took office.
What could he do?
He could have decided that the unity of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination was more important than the immediate needs of his cadres and the diplomatic bluster of Israel and its friends. He could have challenged the US, EU and Israel to support the democratic outcome of the elections, which would have forged a unified Palestinian front to shame the “international community” for its boycott and interference. He could have recognized that this strategy, conducted resolutely, would be more likely to restore the PA’s revenues, more quickly, than any confrontational approach he could take with Hamas.
Instead, Abbas has been listening to his old guard while trying to take orders from Washington, beg for crumbs from Israel, defeat Hamas, form a national unity government, and lead the Palestinian people. Who knew the old stiff could be such a contortionist?
We know from people who know him that Mr. Abbas is a “good guy”. We understand that the man has principles, but most of the time he seems incapable of acting on them.
He crossed the line when he allowed arch Zionist and former Iran-Contra criminal Elliott Abrams, in the Bush White House, to arm and train his security forces, including those of Mohammed Dahlan, his chief warlord in Gaza. This opened the door to a plot to wage civil war against Hamas in Gaza. When Prime Minister Haniyeh responded by asserting his constitutional control of Gaza’s “public order and internal security”, the plot was soon vanquished, with brutality on both sides.
Or was it? As if he had expected the outcome, Abbas made his next move with unaccustomed speed. The Bush administration directed it and the EU and Israel broke out in instant applause. The firing of Prime Minister Haniyeh may have been his last legal act as president of the PA. His new prime minister, Salam Fayyad, appeared to have his unconstitutional “emergency” cabinet waiting in the wings.
Abbas, ever the political chameleon, now plays the unlikely role of strong man, directing his “security forces” in the West Bank to round up and detain Hamas members, some of whom are tortured. He and Fayyad are collaborating with Israel’s scheme to resume total control over Gaza’s borders, enabling it to isolate and starve the people in the futile effort to crush Hamas.
Abbas has now struck an open alliance with Israel and the US against Hamas, despite its continuing plea for dialog to restore the unity government. Abbas is even willing to disgrace himself in front of his own people by making preposterous accusations against the group. ‘They were going to blow me up! They are linked to Al-Qaida and are bringing it into Gaza! I won’t talk to “murderous terrorists”!’ Such talk, ridiculed at home, can only be fodder for the Zionist press and its many readers in Congress.
Now that Palestinian politics is everybody’s business, let’s put international forces in the Gaza Strip. That’s what Mr. Abbas has been urging lately. Employ “peacekeepers” to complete the overthrow of the constitutionally mandated caretaker government and seal its usurpation by Abbas’ Group of 13, so (ostensibly) beloved by Israel and the US. Somehow that would solve the “Hamas problem”.
Simultaneously, Mr. Abbas claims to be a legitimate partner for immediate negotiations with the occupation. Since Israel traditionally signs treaties with the PLO, which Abbas chairs, these statements are worrisome. If he continues on this course, he could, at the very least, fracture the PLO, just as he is threatening to fracture the resistance by cutting deals with Israel to spare Fateh militants who quit.
AIPAC, Israel’s powerful Washington “lobby”, has just announced its support for Abbas’ moves. The Zionists relish this chance to poison Abbas with their public praise while using him to weaken Hamas. “Divide and conquer” means that they defeat both halves. Why is he still playing along?
James Brooks serves as webmaster for Vermonters for a Just Peace in
Palestine/Israel (www.vtjp.org).
He can be contacted at jamiedb@wildblue.net.
References:
Showdown in parliament
Khaled Amayreh, Al-Ahram Weekly on-line, 3/9/2006
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/785/re1.htm
The Amended Basic Law (Promulgated March 18,
2003)
Central Elections Commission - Palestine
http://www.elections.ps/pdf/The_Amended_Basic_Law_2003_EN.pdf
[not linked in text] The Basic Law of 2005
A.D.: Concerning the Amendment some of the Provisions of the Amended Basic
Law of 2003
Central Elections Commission - Palestine
http://www.elections.ps/pdf/The_amended_Basic_Law_of_2005_EN.pdf
What Can Abu Mazin Do?
Nathan J. Brown, Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/AbuMazinUpdateOct20.pdf
U.S. warns Palestinians not to join Hamas
coalition
The Daily Star, 3/18/2006
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=23060
Abbas deals blow to Hamas over security force
The Guardian, 4/21/2006
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1758366,00.html
Elliot Abrams’ Uncivil War
Alastair Crooke and Mark Perry, Conflicts Forum, 1/7/2007
http://conflictsforum.org/2007/elliot-abrams-uncivil-war/
Winners and Losers in the National Unity
Government
Dr. Eyad El-Sarraj, Ma'an News Agency, 3/24/2007
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=20600
White House Seems Ready to Let Hamas Seize
Gaza
Helene Cooper, MIFTAH, 6/16/2007
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=13939&CategoryId=5
Emergency Government Sworn in Amid Hamas
Rejection
MIFTAH, 6/18/2007
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=13963&CategoryId=10
Hamas: "Abbas is becoming a
mini-dictator"
International Middle East Media Center, 6/28/2007
http://www.imemc.org/article/49221.html
Translation of a Palestinian Torture Video
Kawther Salam, The Daily Life of Kawther Salam, 6/24/2007
http://www.kawther.info/K20070624A.html
Israel to open Gaza checkpoint
Al Jazeera, 7/9/2007
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/37A98222-E28A-4D73-B403-35F279419370.htm
Palestinian factions condemn PA - Israeli
agreement to open Kerem Shalom Crossing for stranded Gazans
Ma'an News Agency, 7/9/2007
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=23782
Abbas urges Socialist leaders to help isolate
Hamas
By Aude Marcovitch, Middle East Online, 6/29/2007
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=21258
Fatah spokesman reasserts that Hamas intended
to assassinate Abbas
Ma'an News Agency, 6/22/2007
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=23207
Abbas: Hamas is letting al-Qaida into Gaza,
giving it support
Reuters, Ha'aretz, 7/10/2007
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=880060
Abbas: No dialogue with 'murderous
terrorists' in Hamas
Haaretz Service and News Agencies, Ha'aretz, 6/21/2007
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=873266
Abbas: Int'l force needed in Gaza Strip
before new elections
News Agencies, Ha'aretz, 6/30/2007
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=876628
Abbas urges immediate resumption of peace
talks
Roee Nahmias, YNetNews, 6/29/2007
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3419075,00.html
PLO is "an illegal and illusory
authority," PLO political chief Qaddoumi says
Ma'an News Agency, 6/22/2007
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=23211
Olmert to offer prisoner release and amnesty
for Fatah militants
Aluf Benn, Ha'aretz, 7/14/2007
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=881741
Pro-Israel Lobby Throws Support Behind Fatah-Led
Palestinian Cabinet
Nathan Guttman, MIFTAH, 7/13/2007
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=14258&CategoryId=5
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
||||||
