Pity the poor members of the Fateh bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council, who were elected to their positions at the height of post-Oslo optimism in January 1996 and will face re-election again this summer… If you were a Fateh legislator (as the majority of the PLC members have been), how on earth would you go about defending your movement’s decidedly lack-luster performance since 1996– on practically the whole range of issues, from diplomacy to the economy, to corruption, to the failure to ensure the people even the barest modicum of personal security?
Well, if you were a Fateh legislator you’d probably be working overtime right now to position yourself as a tough defender of the people’s interests, someone who is definitely not about to be duped by yet another Palestinian government made up of Arafat cronies and retreads…
So when PM Abu Alaa’ put together just such another government and presented it to the PLC earlier this week– no dice! (What a tin ear the guy has, eh?)
He tried again, yesterday, after rejigging a few names. Still no dice. It took Abu Mazen swooping in late last night to caucus with the Fateh legislators before they could all finally agree on a list.
Uber-“crony” Saeb Erakat got demoted. Nabil Shaath got shifted sideways. Dahlan did well. Surprisingly, one of the people from the earlier list who made it was Arafat nephew Nasser al-Kidwa, as new Foreign Minister. Actually, not so surprising, since by general agreement Kidwa has done a very competent job representing the PA/PLO at the UN.
Still, to me, the interesting thing was not the details of “who’s up” and “who’s down”, as much as the deft little show of political force that Abu Mazen put on, coming in at the moment of apparent crisis and doing the political work with the legislators that Abu Alaa’ had been unable or unwilling to do.
You’d think that Abu Alaa’ would have been a litttle swifter about seeing the need to meet the legislators at least part-way? After all, they will all be “on trial” together, as the Fateh movement, come the PLC elections in July… and Hamas has already given them some nasty surprises in two small rounds of municipal elections since December.
It’s great to see something like real national politics, with issues of re-electability and being held accountable, taking place among the Palestinians. Still, the whole process will only have real, lasting meaning if they get a truly viable chunk of land in which to conduct it. Does Abu Mazen (unlike his predecessor) have a winning strategy to win that for them? Not clear yet.
9 thoughts on “Abu Mazen saves the day?”
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Since the twin corruption of the Sharon/Arafat governments appear to be at least partially responsible for the current peace offensive, one has to ask what responsible government on the Palestinian side would mean for the region.
The “Economic ties” school of peacemaking posits that getting the two sides mutually invested in trade and such makes warfare more difficult and expensive. This theory runs into trouble when faced with dedicated (especially religious) ideologues who are intrinsically incorruptible. In the case of the Arab-Israeli dispute trade turns out to include Casinos and Hotels in Jericho and probably in Gaza. So would a reconstituted Fateh continue to dip in and reap the “Peace dividends” or would they eschew all such dirty profit-making in favor of Holy War?
I think I know the answer for Hamas, but even there I’m not so sure. Fateh is more secular. The Sharon goverment is apparently squeezing it’s way out of serious election-financing scandals by pandering to the Israeli Left on the issue of the Disengagement. If Omri Sharon (The Prime Ministers son) begins to talk, however, the whole house of cards could come tumbling down, ushering in Netanyahu. Meanwhile, the anti-Disengagement strategy for the Settlers appears to be to provoke the Sharon government into doing something violent and unpopular on TV. After all, it worked for the Palestinians… If the Settlers can lose their war on Israeli TV there could be a political backlash.
So Disengagement is still a horserace. If you add Iran, nukes, Hamas and Hezbollah, it doesn’t get any simpler.
See this Jerusalem Post column for background on the Sharon situation. Just google for “Arafat corrupt PA” for info on Palestinian corruption.
And when I pray for peace, should I also pray for corruption?
also fine
The “Economic Ties” based peacemaking is as senseless as arguing that divorced couples should start a business together. Economic ties will only increase frictions and add fuel to the fire.
Look for example at the schizofrenic perpetual Palestinian demand: Get out of our lands but let our workers into Israel.
With the inordinate Arab wealth, their hatred of Israel, the proximity between Palestine and Egypt/Jordan, and the decades that this dependency has been going on, one would think that the Palestinians would have found a better solution than begging for work permits at Israeli checkpoints.
E. Bilpe
Here we go again. A suicide bombing at a Tel Aviv discotheque claimed by the same groups that pledged the cesation of violence. Celebrations in the streets of Gaza. Didn’t we have a bet going on this subject? Where was the provocation this time? The 500 prisoners just released, or the decision to abandon Gaza?
David
With the inordinate Arab wealth
There is no “inordinate Arab wealth”. The per capita income in Saudi Arabia $11,800. The per capita income in Israel is $19,800.
the proximity between Palestine and Egypt/Jordan, and the decades that this dependency has been going on, one would think that the Palestinians would have found a better solution than begging for work permits at Israeli checkpoints.
The Occupied Territories are poor primarily because of the occupation. Israel’s absolute control of the borders of Palestine and its unwillingness to allow economic development during its long occupation.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have moved from the territories to Jordan in order to be able to live. Israel has in fact done much to encourage Palestinians to leave their homes. It’s hard to avoid the notion that this is not an accident.
The per capita figures are “low” because Saudis do not work and prefer to bring guest workers to do anything menial, from driving their taxis to even run their oil fields. (The lousy treatment of guest workers by Saudis is a shameful theme for another day).
Add to that the fact that women are not allowed to do much but they are counted for the per capita GDP.
With oil at $50, during the five minutes that it took me to write this response $2M moved to Saudia Arabia.
Mix excess wealth with the Wahabi mutation of Islam, and add an idle youth that doesn’t need to work, and you have trouble emanating in all directions.
The fact that Israel’s per capita and absolute GDPs rival those of the richest countries in the region, with no natural resources, and the constant drag of her beligerant neighbours is impressive. That is how is must be read, and that is the reason Palestinians press for work inside Israel. Begging your enemy for work is a disastrous formula, specially in humiliation sensitive cultures like the Arabs. It will not work and no peace process should be based on that.
E. Bilpe
The per capita figures are “low” because Saudis do not work.
This is untrue. Unemployment and poverty are very serious problems in Saudi Arabia. Saudis have for years been taking jobs that in the past had been reserved for foreigners. Saudi Arabia is relatively much poorer than it was at the peak of its earnings. Most Saudi youth do need to work.
The bigger point is that “the Arabs” certainly don’t have the “inordinate wealth” that you claim they do. Why make such a malicious exaggeration?
All you do here is repeat received wisdom with malice.
Palestinians are forced to beg Israelis for work.
Begging your enemy for work is a disastrous formula, specially in humiliation sensitive cultures like the Arabs. It will not work and no peace process should be based on that.
Then the US should not have extended such absolute diplomatic, military, and economic protection to Israel’s occupation, which is what has forced Palestinians to beg for work from their enemies.
What’s next from you, criticism of Nazi slave laborers for selling out their countries?
The existence of poverty does not disprove the thesis of inordinate wealth, it just speaks to social justice and wealth diatribution.
As we speak the Saudis are working on legislating the nationalization of the taxi drivers workforce. Talk about discrimination. So much for unemployment when the locals have to have a legislated preference over foreigners to get them to work.
My claim is not malicious, all I am calling for is a more deliberate and generous wealth distribution so that Palestinians and other Arab segments can develop without begging Israel, the US, the EU and the West in general. Can the giving that goes into Wahabi madrassas find a more constructive use?
Do you dispute that relying on Israel for low wage Palestinian work is a bad foundation for the future?
Respectfully,
E. Bilpe
You keep ignoring the point that Israeli policies forced the Palestinians to rely on jobs in Israel.
From the start an explicit aim of the Israeli occupation was to place the Occupied Territories into a colonial relationship with Israel, with no Palestinian economic activity allowed that might compete with Israeli producers. This was a deliberate policy.
Then add the material destruction and the effects of the economic blockades during the two intifadas, during which Israel repeatedly arbitrarily halted travel and the movement of goods, both between Palestine and the outside world, and internally. It’s surprising that there’s any business at all inside the Occupied Territories
Finally, will you drop the “inordinate Arab wealth” theme? It simply does not exist. Furthermore, you don’t seem to realize that the Occupied Territories, Algeria, and Qatar are separate countries. Americans are in no position to complain about the cheapness of anyone else’s foreign aid in any case.
Talk about discrimination. So much for unemployment when the locals have to have a legislated preference over foreigners to get them to work.
It’s not surprising that Saudi taxi drivers might want some economic protection against taxi drivers from Bangladesh. Are you saying that Saudi workers should be happy to see their wages fall to Bangladeshi levels?
“Talk about discrimination”, indeed. Your posts always depict Muslims and particularly Arabs in the nastiest light imaginable.