Online Journal Contributing Writer
Jul 30, 2009, 00:14
Courtesy Of The Online Journal
The Palestinians are being ill served by their own leaders. As long as the rift between Fatah and Hamas continues, the Israelis can rightly claim they do not have a partner for peace.
It seems to me that the chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, Mahmoud Abbas, and the political leader of Hamas, Esmail Haniyeh, cannot afford the luxury of internal squabbling when they have a real foe to contend with.
Perhaps the Palestinians should get themselves a new president; someone who is able to unite and inspire, on which count both Abbas and Haniyeh have failed dismally for different reasons.
The late Yasser Arafat may have had his faults but he was at least recognised by all Palestinians as ‘our man.’
Abbas has never been an inspirational figure; he’s more of a diplomat. While it’s true that his credentials were impeccable when it comes to working on behalf of the Palestinian cause, lacking both personal charisma and passion, he would be better employed behind the scenes.
Moreover his ambition to hold the number one post put him in conflict with both Arafat and Haniyeh, while his pro-Western tilt and pragmatic relationship with Israeli officials have eroded his credibility.
Suggestions that he deliberately engineered the split with Hamas upon guidance from the Bush White House and a recent allegation from senior PLO leader Farouk Al Kaddoumi that he conspired to murder Arafat haven’t done him any favours, either.
Furthermore, his tenure as president expired on January 9 this year. Yet, although Palestinian National Authority rules stipulate that the speaker should have been nominated as caretaker president, Abbas intends staying put until next January’s elections.
Strangely, despite Washington’s former enthusiasm for Palestinian democracy, the White House appears to have happily sanctioned this self-declared extension.
On second thought, it’s not so strange. From the US perspective, Abbas is malleable and open to compromise.
Haniyeh, on the other hand, has never been given a chance. He was nominated prime minister when Hamas won the 2006 legislative elections but was dismissed by Abbas on June 14, 2007, when Fatah and Hamas were in conflict.
Haniyeh was relegated to his home territory, Gaza, where he keeps his prime ministerial role. There, he has not only had to battle Israelis but also the international community, which has afforded him no support whatsoever.
Yet, despite all obstacles, and with few resources, he has managed to keep Gaza afloat and has prevented it from descending into a lawless jungle.
However, as long Hamas retains the ‘terrorist’ tag, Haniyeh can never be the leader or peacemaker that Palestinians so desperately need.
If US President Barack Obama genuinely seeks peace between Israelis and Palestinians, his first priority should be to get Hamas and Fatah together. Hamas cannot be destroyed.
Many of its leaders have been assassinated by Israel and Israel’s 22-day assault on Gaza failed in its aim of obliterating either the popularity of Hamas or its grip on the territory.
The US needs to open direct channels with Hamas, which was what an article published in the Guardian in January predicted.
A recently released report issued by the British Parliament’s foreign affairs committee calls upon Britain and the EU to engage with moderates within the Hamas movement to persuade them to accept the Quartet’s demands, which include a recognition of Israel’s right to exist, the acceptance of previous peace negotiations as well as a rejection of violence.
“We conclude that there continue to be few signs that the current policy of non-engagement is achieving the Quartet’s stated objectives,” the report reads. Its authors are spot-on.
In a goodwill gesture to prove his commitment to Palestinian unity, Haniyeh recently offered to surrender his party’s government posts in order to reach a settlement with Fatah.
He also confirmed that Hamas does not seek to turn Gaza into a separate Palestinian entity, as some have feared.
On August 25, Egypt is expected to broker a new round of talks that will centre on a Fatah-Hamas power-sharing deal within a transitional government. The Egyptians are upbeat even as accusations fly between one side and the other.
On Sunday, the US Middle Envoy George Mitchell arrived in Cairo to meet with President Hosni Mubarak following meetings with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and the Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak.
Mitchell is accomplished and well-intentioned, but unless he can persuade his boss of the virtues of talking to Hamas, his peace efforts will come to naught.
In the meantime, the Palestinians should begin window shopping for a new leader, who should be someone they can respect and trust with their future; someone without too much negative baggage.
The old guard has had its day. It’s time for new approaches, new enthusiasm and fresh new faces.
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.Copyright © 1998-2007 Online Journal
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