The deterioration and even anarchy in the Palestinian Authority (PA) is one of the most reported and analyzed issues in the Palestinian media. Many Palestinian politicians admit it themselves. And now former Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud ‘Abbas has revealed his thoughts on the situation.
Mahmoud ‘Abbas (Abu Mazen) is General Secretary of the Executive Council of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). According to him, the Fatah party’s institutions are paralyzed, and no immediate solution is apparent.
Speaking in a meeting with Palestinian journalists on March 27, ‘Abbas sounded pessimistic. “Unfortunately, Fatah’s institutions only proved their disability. When they will prove their ability, the entire Palestinian people will support them…I did my best to reform Fatah but I had no success, on the contrary, [Fatah] turned against me.”
‘Abbas said he is determined in his decision to resign from the Central Committee of Fatah, and that he sees no point in attending its meetings. “It is paralyzed and does nothing. I do not think my presence in these meetings will contribute anything.”
Fatah is the most powerful party in the PA. It is headed by Yassir Arafat, and from its ranks come most of the legislative council and government members. Therefore, when speaking of problems in Fatah, one also speaks of problems in the PA. “The PA and its institutes, if they want to save what can be saved – it’s possible, but I don’t know if this could be done in a week or two,” explained ‘Abbas.
Concerning the talks with Hamas, ‘Abbas said, “I am personally in touch with Hamas. I call them and meet them, and I continue our dialogue under the slogan ‘We are one people, we are all responsible, and we all want to defend our people’.” ‘Abbas described his relations with the Hamas leadership, and especially with Khalid Mash’al [1] as “special”. “Mash’al has a balanced, realistic and pragmatic personality,” said ‘Abbas. He added that he has good relations with all Hamas leaders, and he feels it is possible to reach mutual understanding with them. Nevertheless, ‘Abbas asserted that if Hamas prefers to remain out of the PA as an opposition, it should do so.
The participation of Hamas and all other Palestinian opposition groups in the PA institutions is much debated. One of Hamas’s most powerful and attractive ideas is its refusal to acknowledge Israel as a legitimate state, and its refusal to acknowledge the PA as the representative of the Palestinian people. With the death of its leader Ahmad Yasin, Hamas may now be facing a change in its guiding policies. Its new leader, Mash’al, is already saying very clearly that Hamas is going to be part of the Palestinian decision-making process. This means the PA may include Hamas in the future. And if so, a few important questions arise:
– What influence would it have on Hamas’s activity?
– Will it continue its relentless war against Israel?
– What influence will it have on the other opposition groups, mainly Islamic Jihad; will they also join the PA, or remain in the opposition?
– How will the Palestinian street, mainly Hamas supporters, react to this sudden change? Will it see this as a betrayal of Hamas, or a step forward?
– And perhaps the most important question: How will this affect the conduct of the PA and the already existing state of anarchy?