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| Middle East |
| PA: Back from oblivion |
| 2003-11-20 |
| By BARRY RUBIN At last Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala) has formed a Palestinian government... There are three developments in Palestinian politics which have been largely ignored. First, Qurei is a genuine moderate, if a rather weak-willed one. From its inception in 1996, he headed the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). One might hope that the PLC would be a force for moderation and democracy. But what about Qurei's successor? When it was decided that Prime Minister Qurei must resign as PLC chair, he was replaced by Rafik al-Natsha, also known as Abu Shaker. I have not seen a single analysis of this fact, but it is really pretty horrifying. Natsha is the former PLO ambassador to Saudi Arabia and a former member of the Fatah Central Committee, as well as, of course, a PLC member. In 1988, he became an outspoken opponent of the Palestine National Council resolution which hinted (albeit cynically and obliquely) that the PLO might not keep trying to destroy Israel. So virulent was his opposition to any hint of peace that he denounced Arafat at the 1990 Fatah meeting. Subsequently, he was the only person not reelected to the Fatah Central Committee. Naturally, it is not surprising that Natsha then became an outspoken enemy of the Oslo agreement and the peace process. He was willing to run for the PLC from Hebron on Arafat's ticket and was elected (though he came in only sixth of the 10 successful candidates). Arafat even made him minister of labor in the 1996 cabinet. Thus, the PLC is now controlled by a complete Arafat loyalist who is a hard-liner and who opposes even minimal steps for peace. Translation: the PLC will not be a force for moderation or democracy. Second, Qurei's government was held up for some weeks because of a heated debate over who would be the minister of interior, an important post since it controls the security forces. Arafat was minister of interior until former PA premier Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) tried to reform the system. Abbas then functioned in that job formally but let Muhammad Dahlan take the leading role. Qurei wanted to put Nasser Yusuf, another tough guy, into the job. Arafat rejected this idea. So who is minister of interior in the end? Hakam Balawi. He is Arafat's Third, whatever became of Jibril Rajoub? The former head of Preventive Security on the West Bank was the favorite of the CIA and, at times, someone who Israel hoped would be a powerful moderate. Now he has been co-opted by Arafat. Rajoub has so many enemies that his decision to throw himself on the mercy of the Old Man is understandable. He also is happy to battle his old rival Dahlan. Rajoub has returned from being a virtual outcast to being Arafat's national security adviser. In a November 4 interview, Rajoub did a thorough job of showing his new hard-line version. According to him, the current US government hates the Arabs. The Palestinians bear no responsibility for the three years of war because they are always the victim. He wants a revived Russia to balance the United States in the region. On the positive side, Rajoub criticized attacks on Israelis within the Green Line. But what stands out most of all is Rajoub's call to increase resistance to the US in Iraq. In short, he is calling for more anti-American violence there and urging Arabs to kill American soldiers. Meanwhile, Arafat continues his refusal to cooperate in the investigation of the terrorist attack that killed three American security men in Gaza. New revelations proving the stupendous amount of aid money stolen by Arafat are making headlines. There is more proof of his direct support for terrorist operations. These facts are not going to endear Arafat's regime to the US government or the American people. That is why US reluctance to deal with Arafat, much less help him, should not be surprising. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #1 The author of this was, I think, one of the hostages taken in Iran back in the late 70s. |
| Posted by: mhw 2003-11-20 3:37:59 PM |