Danny Rubinstein (Ha'aretz): Saving the Palestinian Authority

[Jack Rabbit]

From Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv)
Dated Monday February 2

Saving the Palestinian Authority
By Danny Rubinstein

"Who will turn the tables and the intifada, which has lost its purpose," asked the headline of an article written at the end of last week by Imad Shakur - who has Israeli citizenship, who was for years an adviser to Yasser Arafat, and who still has a say in the Palestinian leadership.
Shakur's article was published in the London-based Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, and in all likelihood it expresses the view of many in the Palestinian leadership who fear that the PA is tottering on the brink of disintegration. Shakur calls on Arafat to take immediate and dramatic steps.
First, he says, Arafat should declare that government power in the territories is entirely in the hands of the Palestinian Authority. Then Arafat should demand that all the various Palestinian movements, popular-democratic front organizations and splinter groups should turn into political parties - in this capacity, they should have the right to operate in the political arena . . . .
Typically, PA spokesmen and Palestinian journalists blame the Sharon government for all woes that befall the Palestinian people . . . .
Shakur's statements, by contrast, are laced with sharp criticisms of Arafat. Arafat is accused of failing to govern, of turning the PA into an amalgam of fronts and militias ruled by armed extremists. Conversations with top-ranking Palestinians suggest that many concur with Shakur's portrait. Last week, for example, the PA's National Security Council announced that it is establishing emergency committees to impose law and order in the West Bank and Gaza Strip - a move unlikely to have any practical effect.

Read more.

Frankly, for many of the reasons outlined here, I have believed that the PA has been on the verge of collapse since the beginning of the Second Intifada.

[David Dunham]

1. I agree with the comment above

[bemildred]

2. I don't think Arafart really cares.

It's nice that this fellow sees the problem, but I don't
think Yassir has much interest in fixing these problems
at this point, unless he gets what he came for. You can
kill him if you like, but he's the only guy with a shot
at fixing things, and he doesn't much care anymore.
You wanted chaos, you got chaos.

This is purely speculation on my part of course, but it is
quite noticeable that you hear next to nothing from Yassir's
little bomb shelter these days.

[Jack Rabbit]

3. I don't think he does, either

He's been milking his cow. The terrorists do their own thing and whether he approves or not is irrelevant.

I hate bastards who think they can take it all with them.

[Fight_n_back]

4. Good article

but I wish it was longer.

Thanx Jack Rabbit for your consistently positive contribution to this debate on DU.

[Gimel]

5. Emperor Arafat

The land may be going to h_ll, but he has his throne.

It's good to know that someone can think about fixing the problems. When the man at the helm refuses to institute the needed changes, stagnation results. The Road Map is an illusion, a mere dream.

Shakur's statements, by contrast, are laced with sharp criticisms of Arafat. Arafat is accused of failing to govern, of turning the PA into an amalgam of fronts and militias ruled by armed extremists. Conversations with top-ranking Palestinians suggest that many concur with Shakur's portrait. Last week, for example, the PA's National Security Council announced that it is establishing emergency committees to impose law and order in the West Bank and Gaza Strip - a move unlikely to have any practical effect.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/389640.html

It's a picture or reality, just like we've been trying to say.