Kurtzer says Palestinian PM is a 'relatively weak man'

[bemildred]

Another professional diplomat at work. The only thing I can
figure is he wants to undercut Mazen (or he's a moron). I mean,
what is the point of saying this? Any ideas?. The only other thing
I could come up with was a back-handed attempt to give these "leaders"
warm fuzzys about Mazen.


United States Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer
has called Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud
Abbas (Abu Mazen) a "relatively weak man" who
tends to "run away from problems."

Speaking Monday evening to some 150 rabbis and Jewish lay
leaders in Jerusalem, Kurtzer said Abbas is "doing a little
bit better," in part due to U.S. pressure.

"It's not easy to change behavior patterns after that
many years," he told the group, which is attending summer
seminars at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.

American support of Abbas is secondary to the
U.S. desire to remove Palestinian Authority
Chairman Yasser Arafat from power, Kurtzer
added. "Our objective was not to empower an
individual named Abu Mazen; our objective was
to disempower an individual named Arafat."

Haaretz

[Violet_Crumble]

1. Answer: He's a moron...

I think that might be a trait of some US diplomats. The US Ambassador to Australia had a public hissy-fit about comments made in Parliament by a back-bencher a while back, conveniently forgetting that he's not supposed to try to meddle in our political affairs. What a moron....

Violet...

[bemildred]

2. Moron it is ...

:thumbsup:

[wellst0nev0ter]

3. Maybe He Is Just Telling The Truth

Dividing the Palestinian leadership while sequestering one leader in the Ramallah compound while favoring another leader does nothing to build consensus and ultimately weakens both leaders.

[bemildred]

4. That may be.

I don't pretend to know what sort of man he is.
It seems clear to me that the Israeli government has at times
taken steps to divide and weaken the Palestinian polity.
I was merely wondering what the diplomat here was up to, or
whether he was thinking at all. I think I agree with VC, he's
just a moron with a loose mouth.

[Tinoire]

5. Sorry SHARON & Sorry BUSH, the PA Leader is ARAFAT

Whether you LIKE it or NOT! Abu Mazen is your little puppet and no self-respecting Palestinian is going to give him any creedence. Sheesh.

This is the right wing MO- don't like a leader- just install a puppet or finance a puppet regime. Not gonna work. Abu Mazen isn't necessarily weak- he has NO POWER, NO RESPECT and will not be allowed to sell the Palestinian people down the river.

**********************************

Arafat Is Still Quite Relevant
20:46 Jul. 09, '03 / 9 Tammuz 5763

Palestinian Authority leader Abu Mazen, taking very personally the criticism launched against him for not having succeeded in getting Israel to free the prisoners - even though this is not an element of the Road Map - has resigned from the Fatah Central Committee.

<snip>

"The resignation is part of the power struggles in the PA," reported Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman today, "but one thing is clear: Yasser Arafat is the main power in the Palestinian Authority. Abu Mazen controls hardly anything, and Arafat is more relevant than ever . Most of the treasury is in Arafat's hands, and even Salam Fayad, the new Treasury Minister who is said to be an Abu Mazen loyalist, takes his orders from Arafat... All the regional governors are Arafat men, and a few days ago he issued an order expanding their authorities..."

Huberman said that at present, "it's in Arafat's interest not to block Abu Mazen and the diplomatic process. This is because he does not want to be blamed for stopping a process in which PA control returns to the territory and the prisoners are released. Arafat is building himself up as a popular leader - people come to him for grants, such as 200 families whose homes were damaged in Khan Yunis, and to solve disputes, such as the recent large feud between clans in Hevron. He is building himself as a populist leader, as opposed to the 'cold and detached' Abu Mazen..."

Huberman said that Israel realizes what is going on, "but is locked into this line of strengthening Abu Mazen, mainly because of very heavy American pressure. It's hard to believe, however, that it's really strengthening him; I think Abu Mazen, after hearing Dan Kurtzer say yesterday that the Americans are trying to strengthen him only in order to weaken Arafat, understands that he's just a pawn. I don't think it's really working... Abu Mazen and Dahlan understand the public support for Arafat, and consult with him all the time. After the recent meeting with Sharon, and then after the meeting with Condoleeza Rice, they went straight to the Mukata to brief Arafat. True, they had to make the decisions on the spot, but Arafat is always in the picture."

<snip>

http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=46359

[The Magistrate]

6. In My View, Ma'am

The "National News" may not be the best source for the inner workings of politics in Arab Palestine: rather like reading Novak's column for details of intrigue in the Democratic National Committee. It would be to their interest to cut down Mr. Mazen and brandish the shibboleth of Arafat, for Mr. Mazen represents a possibility of peace which, put bluntly, the editors of that paper detest. Since most Israelis rather detest Arafat, and certainly distrust him, emphasizing him may effect Israeli attitudes towards negotiation just now adversely. That would be unfortunate.

[Gimel]

7. MK Tibi (United Arab List)

Has spoken out against this alledged statement on the Israeli media. By way of clarification:

When U.S. Ambassador Dan Kurtzer spoke about Abu
Mazen's weakness this week, he wasn't talking
about his personality, but the pressures he is
under. In my opinion, Kurtzer was hinting that
President Bush expects Israel to take steps to
strengthen him and enable him to stand up to
Arafat.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=316907&sw=Kurtzer

Continue in the above article and this is read:

In addition, the U.S. is pressing for a return
of the Egyptian and Jordanian ambassadors to
Israel as a signal to other countries in the
region that normal Arab-Israeli relations
exist, Kurtzer said. The U.S., he added, would
like to see a resumption of regional
conferences that include Israel and Arab
countries on shared issues such as water and
the environment.

The most hopeful element of the nascent peace
process is the bilateral political track that
has developed between key Israeli and
Palestinian leaders, Kurtzer said. The
ambassador said that while Abbas and Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon had informed the U.S. of
their meeting last week, "they did it
themselves."

"We didn't hold their hands, we didn't give them
statements, we didn't give them incentives,"
Kurtzer said.

He also pointed to the follow-up meetings that
took place Sunday between Defense Minister
Shaul Mofaz and Palestinian Minister for
Security Affairs Mohammed Dahlan, and Monday
between Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and
Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr, as
a signal that direct political negotiations are
moving forward.

"It is a very interesting development that we
certainly did stimulate," Kurtzer said. "But
the fact that they've taken this and run on
their own is, I think, one of the best hopes
this process has."
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/315851.html

[bemildred]

9. The use of the phrase

about running away from problems seems inconsistent
with the interpretation that he wasn't talking about Abbas'
personal traits. It's true that it is possible the ambassador
is just clumsy with words.

The other bits, about the process moving along on its own etc.
seemed like spin to me, but opinions might vary about that.

[Classical_Liberal]

8. Personally I wish Arafat would pass away so the Palestinians

would have to choose a real leader, that is untainted, but I don't think Mazen is it either. I do worry about the quisling factor. Unless the Palestinian government governs all the west bank, the road map won't work, and the map doesn't specify what the Palestinian state will be.