• Main
• archives
• Albums
• Links

• THE CHILDREN OF OCCUPATION
• Palestinian Center For Public Opinion - Poll No. 146
• BUT-FOR SELF-PRESERVATION
• Dr. Nabil Kukali's Latest Palestinian Poll
• Abbas's Fateful Hour

• December 2005

• General [5]

• RSS 2.0
• Atom 0.3

Alon Ben-Meir—December 5, 2005

I have just returned from a week-long trip to Israel and Palestine during which I met with many Israeli and Palestinian officials, intellectuals, and ordinary people. This article is the first in a series of articles written with the hope of shedding some new light on many conflicting issues at a time when revolutionary changes are sweeping the political landscape in both societies.

Perhaps more than at any other time in his decades-long struggle for the cause of his people, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas faces a fateful and historic hour. The question is whether he will rise to the occasion, seize the moment, and lift his people up or allow this – perhaps his last – chance for peace to slip away. To achieve his ultimate goal of a two-state solution, Mr. Abbas must develop his domestic socioeconomic agenda, earnestly tackling the multiple problems that have plagued the Palestinian society.

The second Intifadah, which destroyed much of Palestinian economy, security, and infrastructure, and Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza, have dramatically changed the political dynamic between the two societies. Israel has resigned itself to taking increasingly unilateral steps, including the building of a fence designed to enhance its national security and create the conditions for two states. Meanwhile, Palestinian leaders continue to push for a comprehensive solution, virtually freezing economic developments and sorely neglecting the welfare of the Palestinian people. Mr. Abbas must now take a fresh look at the confluence of these events demanding his immediate attention. He must produce a sound and resolute political agenda upon which to base his platform for the January 25th Palestinian Legislative Council Elections. Mr. Abbas must gather the willpower since failure will consign him to political oblivion regarding the Palestinian national cause.

Mr. Abbas need not look farther than a few miles to the West to witness his counterpart Prime Minister Sharon’s revolutionary political transformation, necessitated by the changing sociopolitical conditions for both Israelis and Palestinians. In Sharon we have a leader who has invested every hour of his political career to fight for greater Israel, earning him the title of architect of the settlement policy. Nevertheless, as a prime minister he realized that occupation was not demographically sustainable. He subsequently abandoned his decades-long affiliation with the Likud party, though he helped to build it, because the party was now out of touch with reality.

Considering the existing volatile political atmosphere and risks to his own life, Mr. Abbas’s task will take similar courage. Whether we are born great or greatness is thrust upon us, history shows that men like Mr. Abbas do rise to the occasion. He may have that instinct and sense of historic responsibility since his actions can offer hope to his people, paving the way to rebuilding the Palestinian body and spirit. Whereas Mr. Abbas may wish to promote a set of demands from Israel leading to a two-state solution, professor Sari Nuseibah, President of al Quds University, believes that Mr. Abbas should make his domestic agenda the focus of the upcoming elections. Palestinian people want to see immediate improvement in their daily lives, not wait another 10 years until a permanent solution is achieved. To that end there are five issues on which Mr. Abbas must concentrate:

First, Mr. Abbas must heed the call of the young leaders that have grown yet languished under Israeli occupation. They want change; they want an end to cronyism, corruption, and disdain for the people’s welfare. Every effort must be made to ensure that the political primaries are held without further intimidation, threats, or violence. The so-called young guard must be given equal chance to compete freely and fairly regardless of their political leanings. Mr. Abbas must provide the security needed to insure that the primaries in the remaining days are held in an orderly fashion so that complaints and contentions about the elections will be kept to an absolute minimum.

Second, Mr. Abbas must not shirk the responsibility to enforce the law. This is what every Palestinian wants. They are tired of lawlessness, living on edge, and seeking protection anywhere except from the security personnel of the Authority. This, obviously, cannot be changed in seven weeks, but Mr. Abbas must assert his authority, signaling to the Palestinians how he will conduct himself following the national elections. He can select two manageable areas – one in the West Bank and another in Gaza – and declare those areas weapons-free, requiring all of their residents to surrender their arms in return for monetary compensation. He must then criminalize the open or hidden carrying of firearms in the street. Once fully enforced in these two areas, he can expand the ban on firearms to other areas, enforcing the law with no exception.

Third, Mr. Abbas must immediately begin labor intensive development projects such as housing, especially in Gaza. Not only is there a desperate need for housing among tens of thousands of families living in squalor in refugee camps, but such projects provide thousands of sorely needed jobs where the unemployment rate is as high as 50 percent. When I asked Oded Ben-Haim from Israel’s Foreign Ministry what he would advise Mr. Abbas to do, rather than disarming Hamas, to my surprise he said: “He should first and foremost focus on economic development which will provide the basis for civic calm.