Former Palestinian Authority Official Returns From Exile to Gaza To Change Political Map
Nasser Al Qudwa has launched the "Palestinian National Salvation" initiative to change the Palestinian Authority's political system, and more than 70 local public figures have signed on in support
After one year of self-imposed exile, Nasser Al Qudwa, nephew of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and former Palestinian Authority foreign minister, returned last week to the Gaza Strip and not to Ramallah in the West Bank, where he used to reside.
Until recently, Qudwa, 69, was living in the south of France with his wife near his in-laws, reevaluating, planning and charting his next move.
He says he left Ramallah last year due to immense pressure after he publicly criticized his uncle’s successor, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas.
“I had to be ousted from this country after a long period of steadfast” resistance, Qudwa told The Media Line.
Qudwa was expelled from the Central Committee of the Fatah movement after he dared to announce his desire to run his own list in the legislative elections scheduled for last year, which Abbas canceled.
This decision cost the senior official his security detail, his car and driver, along with his dismissal from his position as director of the Yasser Arafat Foundation. His diplomatic passport also was taken away.
Qudwa said he decided to relocate Gaza instead of the West Bank because he feared for his life if he returned to Ramallah.
“Unfortunately, these guys can do anything. Nevertheless, when I found it necessary to stay, I did stay – during the failed elections, and during the illegal decisions to oust me from Fatah,” he said.
Shortly after leaving the West Bank about a year ago, Qudwa insisted that he was not planning to stay away for long; however, the senior official and diplomat said that, since it was apparent that his safety was on the line, he opted to stay away.
“They are capable of anything frankly,” he said, and when asked about who he was referring to, he pointed his finger to the top of the PA governing pyramid.
“The guys who are in control of the system basically,” he said. “It’s the top man and his cronies, two or three of them, they can do anything because there is no minimum respect for the rule of law, there is no minimum respect for Palestinian traditions, there is no minimum respect for anything. So, God knows what they might do.”
The governing body in Ramallah, says Qudwa, doesn’t respect “rule of law, human rights and basic rights.”
“This group in control doesn’t attempt to confront the Israeli policies, and to find real solutions for the Palestinian people,” he said.
The fact is that those cronies around him don’t stand any independent chances in Palestinian political life. They are linked in a way; their future is linked with the approval and acceptance of Mr. Abbas.
When The Media Line pressed him again on who these men are, Qudwa replied: “The guys who are in control of the PA.”
When the names of PA Minister of Civil Affairs and the PLO Secretary General Hussein Al-Sheikh, and Majed Faraj, the head of the PA’s General Intelligence Service (GIS), were suggested, Qudwa agreed: “Yes, that’s reasonably fair.”
Qudwa said he doesn’t like to name names, but that he has no problem publicly identifying Sheikh and Faraj.
“The guys who participate in the decision-making process and surround Mr. Abbas are known to the Palestinians on the street,” he explained.
“No one, absolutely no one, can see him without the approval of Sheikh and Faraj,” one of Abbas’ aides told TML.
The general feeling of a large percentage of Palestinians is that those who benefit from being around Abbas use the Palestinian cause to advance their own personal interests; the Palestinian street describes them as “fungi,” or people who draw their influence on the Palestinian political arena from being around Abbas.
But Qudwa insists that the president, despite his old age and frail health, is still the one who has the final word.
“I don’t think that they can yet take decisions independently, I think the decision-making lies in the hands of the old man,” he said.
However, Qudwa argues that “they do influence decisions through means that are not very respectable sometimes, and they try to inject their own feelings and their own interests into the equation and, on many occasions, successfully.”
“They agree and accept that the final say arbiter – the final decision maker – is Abu Mazen,” he said, using the nom de guerre for Abbas.
Qudwa explains that even if the decisions are dictated to Abbas, he still needs to give his seal of approval.
“The fact is that those cronies around him don’t stand any independent chances in Palestinian political life. They are linked in a way; their future is linked with the approval and acceptance of Mr. Abbas,” he said.
Qudwa isn’t shy about publicly criticizing Abbas’ policies. He has been on the record several times as saying the top PA, PLO and Fatah leader’s policies have failed to achieve anything for the Palestinians.
The Palestinian people are going through an unprecedented time as a result of Abbas’ policies. “I believe that we can’t get out of this situation as long as this group remains in control,” Qudwa said.
He accuses Abbas of destroying PLO institutions, Fatah institutions and PA institutions.
“The actual situation on the ground has never been worse since Nakba,” the displacement of about 700,000 Palestinians during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, according to Qudwa. “So, the Palestinian system itself is partially responsible, and Israeli policies.”
Nihad Abu Ghosh, a Palestinian analyst from Ramallah, told The Media Line that the PA is “emaciated, flabby, led by a handful of utilitarian climbers whose only concern is staying in power.”
PA presidential and parliamentary elections were set for spring 2021, but Abbas canceled them indefinitely, saying that it was because Israel won’t allow Palestinians in east Jerusalem to participate in them.
“Israel disrupts the presidential and legislative elections in Palestine, by preventing Palestinian citizens of Jerusalem from participating in them, as took place in three previous elections (1996, 2005, 2006),” Abbas said in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.
Qudwa says it goes much deeper. “We have a system that doesn’t believe in elections; the last time we had elections was over 15 years ago,” he said.
“We have a system that in practice destroyed the Palestinian institutions, we have a PNC (Palestinian National Council) that is supposed to be the supreme decision-maker, the supreme body that hasn’t met for more than 20 years. And when it met, it did so in a way that has nothing to do with bylaws of the PLO,” Qudwa added.
Many have been vocal in criticizing Abbas lately, among them Fatah leader Rafaat Elyan. He told The Media Line that Abbas’ policies have destroyed the temple from within.
Elyan said that the real problem lies in “our leaders and their approach and policies.” He says this leadership makes decisions on behalf of the Palestinian people, without consulting them.
“We cannot bypass this phase, and the Palestinian people have to change this leadership,” he said.
Elyan adds that the only way out of this crisis is to “regain the trust of the Palestinian people and elect new leadership that deserves to lead and make sacrifices while it achieves political results.”
“This man is living in a period of extreme isolation. He does not have many friends, not Arab, regionally or internationally,” he said.
Abbas has been accused by many of being a one-man rule and an authoritarian, who has no patience for dissent. The 87-year-old president, who has been weakened by his strategic choices, is criticized for increasing his grip on power.
Elyan says that this method of crushing people is new to the Palestinians. He adds that though they used to publicly criticize Arafat, he remained their “undisputed, beloved leader.”
“Fatah is strong, but its current leadership is poor. Someone wants to steal Fatah,” said Elyan.
Abbas dissolved the Palestinian Legislative Council in late 2018 through the Palestinian Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) – a body that was appointed by the PA president, leaving writing legislation and approving the laws in the hands of the leader. In addition, Abbas was elected to a four-year term in 2005; his presidency is about to enter its eighteenth year.
Abbas rules with an iron fist, and rules by executive orders signed in the middle of the night from the privacy of his office in the Muqataa, the de facto capital of the PA in Ramallah.
Those close to him say he has grown frustrated with not having any major accomplishments to his name and that he cares deeply about the legacy he will leave behind, making him more and more desperate to stay in power. To achieve this, over the years he has consolidated his power, turning in the eyes of many Palestinians into a tyrant whose main job is to protect Israeli interests.
Those who dare to stand up to Abbas have paid a high price; among them are Qudwa, Tawfiq Tirawi and Mohammad Dahlan, who all have been expelled from Fatah for opposing Abbas.
Another dismissed top Fatah official is Tirawi, who was close friend and confidant of Arafat, and one of Abbas’s aides when he became PA president in 2005.
Tirawi also directed the Istiqlal University, where future Palestinian security forces are trained in Jericho. He was relieved of his duties at the university after a leaked recording, where he was heard criticizing Sheikh, a close adviser of Abbas who is seen as his successor.
Tirawi lost his two bodyguards and his car in addition to his position at the university, over the recorded comments.
Dahlan was suspended from Fatah’s Central Committee in 2011 following a power struggle with Abbas.
“I’m in touch with everybody. I have been in touch with Dahlan, Marwan Barghouti, Tawfiq Tirawi, everybody,” said Qudwa. “These names have long histories in Fatah, probably more important than many of those on the other side.”
He says he expected what happened to Tirawi, adding: “It’s by force whether you like it or not.”
“He wants to clean the scene for those who don’t deserve their current role or an even bigger role in the future. They cannot succeed if certain figures remain around,” he explained.
The PA is under tremendous pressure from donor countries to eradicate corruption from its institutions. The European Union just recently resumed financial aid to the Palestinians, and the United States – the Palestinians’ biggest financial contributor – resumed the financial aid that was suspended under former president Donald Trump.
“We are now spending almost half a billion dollars of US taxpayers’ money helping the Palestinian people – not the PA, but the people. Education, health care, working with them. We care deeply about the people, we care deeply about giving people the opportunities for the health care, the respect, the security that they need, and that’s what we’re spending our energies on.” US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides told The Media Line in a recent interview.
When Arafat died, the transition of power was seamless, and that’s not going to be the case this time, Qudwa says.
“There’s no substitute for the legitimacy of the ballot box,” he said.
The national interest requires a broad and deep change of the political system, not defending it as was customary in the past decades
In July, he launched the “Palestinian National Salvation” initiative to change the Palestinian Authority political system “through a transitional body for achievement, change and reconstruction.”
More than 70 Palestinian public figures signed on in support of the initiative.
“The national interest requires a broad and deep change of the political system, not defending it as was customary in the past decades,” said Qudwa.
He says the timing is critical.
“Why now? Because generally the Palestinian situation is getting worse and worse, and it’s reaching the point of a catastrophic situation,” he said.
Several similar initiatives previously were announced and failed, yet Qudwa insists that his initiative isn’t competing with any other groups. He says his initiative is the most realistic and practical presentation to date to bring about political change to the Palestinian political system.
“We do see a difference between what we presented, and what others presented. Others have presented basically positions that are good and legitimate, and they are to be praised. However, they don’t represent something that can be implemented,” Qudwa said.
He says the goal is to force Abbas to hold elections.
“Some initiatives called for elections, which is our position too; but if elections aren’t held then what?” said Qudwa, adding that his group tries to do things differently. “We have a plan and a process that can be implemented and be carried on by everybody. By all Palestinians, including the general public, the security forces and the political organizations.”
Qudwa says no one is excluded from his initiative.
“Any groups that choose to participate are welcome. There’s no guarantee of success, but we felt that we need to try, and we took the initiative to try and we hope that it’s going to work,” he said.
In the press conference announcing the initiative, Qudwa stressed that “the national interest requires a broad and deep change of the political system, not defending it as was the case in past decades.”
This has left some to speculate on whether he is calling to overthrow the current leadership.
“Definitely not a coup because we’d prefer and love to have a change through democratic and peaceful means, and we put elections as part of the solution that needs to be done, to elect the legislative council and to elect the presidency,” Qudwa said.
“The door should be open to all who approve of the main ideas and the principles, and that includes the group in control,” he added.
But, Qudwa says, he doesn’t expect a “miracle” to happen – “we don’t expect much in this regard, we don’t think that there will be a positive position; but, nevertheless we want to maintain the social peace and we don’t want to wage what could be described as a coup or a violent change.”
But even if the “ruling” group doesn’t join in the “change process,” Qudwa says, “it doesn’t absolve the others [groups] from responsibility as they have to come together to try to do the job themselves.”
A copy of the initiative was sent to Jibril Rajoub, secretary general of the Fatah Central Committee. This is because, Qudwa explains, he still believes that many Fatah members don’t see eye to eye with Abbas and are different than the group in control.
“It’s broader and larger than that; it’s an organization that has heritage, history and traditions,” he said.
“[Fatah] is now kidnapped in a way, but we still hope that the Fatah guys will wake up and try to restore the glory of the movement in Palestinian politics,” he said.
Fatah’s house is in chaos, with many internal fights simmering behind the scenes – and several attempts at reconciliation have failed. Meanwhile, a fierce fight among those who want to replace Abbas is raging, as Abbas and the tight circle around him work hard to eliminate many top Fatah figures from the old guard to clear the way for what many predict will be the ascension of Sheikh to the PA presidency.
But several Fatah members who refused to be named told The Media Line that replacing Abbas with Sheikh as president won’t be easy.
“Many Fatah leaders will come together and claim legitimacy and get into unfortunately what might be a confrontation with the group in control,” said Qudwa.
Sheikh, who is eyeing the position of PA president, currently is on an official visit to Washington for meeting with US officials, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan. This is the first such visit by a Palestinian Authority official to Washington since 2017 and could solidify Sheikh’s position as the top contender to replace Abbas.
A glimpse of the confrontation Qudwa is talking about played out on September 19 in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, when PA security forces clashed with residents, after making two arrests.
The state of chaos within the Palestinian political system also could lead to a phase that pits Palestinians against each other.
“These poles and differences began to surface as a result of President Mahmoud Abbas’ real behavior as the head of the pyramid, as a result of not dealing with the law and internal order,” said Elyan.
Many of Fatah’s top leadership say that Abbas and his minions have bypassed these laws, Elyan says. He cites the dismissals of Dahlan and Qudwa from their official positions, as well as the “mistreatment” of Barghouti and Tirawi.
“We might have a big problem after his departure. I think that we do have a big problem now. So, it’s not if we will have a problem, now we have a problem. It depends on what will be the choices of some people and some parties including outside forces. If they try to impose their will on the Palestinian people, there will be chaos, there will be problems and a situation that cannot be controlled,” said Qudwa.
He is calling for a national consensus debate open for all to find a way out of the current situation; however, elections remain the key to change.
“I’m in touch now with everybody from Fatah that would be ready to get in touch with me,” said Qudwa. According to a highly credible source, he has been in touch with Abbas’ nemesis Dahlan, who resides and works in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
That is something that has infuriated Abbas and his close aides.
“I know that is now one of the sins imposed by the group in control is to get in touch with Nasser Qudwa,” Qudwa pointed out.
Palestinians agree that the current situation on the ground also is contributing to the chaotic internal Palestinian situation.
A thick cloud of tension hovered over the Palestinian territories on Thursday in solidarity with Jenin in the northern West Bank, following a bloody day during which Israeli army killed four Palestinians.
Wednesday’s clashes made this year the deadliest year since 2016.
In March, Israel launched Operation Break the Wave against what it says are Palestinian “terrorists,” conducting hundreds of raids throughout the West Bank mainly in Jenin and nearby Nablus, and triggering clashes with Palestinian gunmen, killing dozens and arresting at least 2,000.
Israel has said that its military is carrying out these operations to bring an end to the rising Palestinian attacks on Jews in the West Bank.
Sheikh, the secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, slammed the Israeli army’s raid on Wednesday as “a major crime committed by the occupation in the city of Jenin.”
