Palestinian leader criticised from all sides
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is having trouble imposing order in unruly Gaza, and he is cut off from his people by a wall of bodyguards.
His government faces a no-confidence vote in parliament, and his main rival, Hamas, is parading its private army in the streets in bold defiance of his call to disarm.
A week after Israel departed from Gaza, Abbas appears weak and isolated, drawing criticism from ordinary Palestinians, politicians from his own party and Israel. His defenders say he faces an impossible task and needs more time, and point out that the Palestinians now have a moderate, sober-minded leader after decades of erratic rule by the late Yasser Arafat.
However, parliament elections are only four months away, Hamas is breathing down his neck and concrete achievements seem distant; it will take months before he can deliver on promises of housing and jobs.
Abbas faces several immediatedilemmas.
He is under growing pressure to open the Gaza-Egypt border and secure freedom of movement for cooped up Gazans. But that could jeopardise future peace talks and Gaza’s economic future if it’s done without the consent of Israel, which could retaliate by clamping down at other border crossings.
The international community wants him to crack down on militants, but that would interfere with his plan to bring Hamas into the fold and thus defuse its threat to his political survival. Israel has further complicated the equation with a threat to impede the parliament election if Hamas participates.
Abbas’ most obvious problem is his isolation from his people.
Since the last Israeli soldier drove out of the Gaza Strip over a week ago, Abbas has shied away from public celebrations, including one last week on the ruins of the largest Jewish settlement, Neve Dekalim. He sent an aide instead. Hamas, the largest Islamic militant group, dispatched its top leader, Mahmoud Zahar.
Abbas travels in a 20-car convoy speeding through the streets of Gaza, surrounded by dozens of guards. Since Israeli troops withdrew, he addressed his nation only once- from behind a television screen. At one point last week, as thousands were clambering into Egypt and militants were openly brandishing weapons throughout Gaza, Abbas stunned his countrymen by stating that Gaza was under “complete control.”
“I know that we have a president just from the news but in our life we feel nothing about him,” said 40-year-old Gaza City resident Salem Iskik. “He is living in an isolated island in Gaza, with no way to see him or talk to him and when he talks to us he uses the TV screens like he is addressing foreigners.”
In a stormy session of the Palestinian parliament yesterday, lawmakers had harsh words for the Palestinian leader and his Cabinet. Much of the tough talk came from members of Abbas’ own ruling Fatah party.
“There is no real presence of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza,” said Fatah lawmaker Nabil Amr, an Abbas ally.
Another Fatah lawmaker, Ghassan Shakaa, said, “The security situation is in a very bad state. Our national project is in danger.”
Parliament scheduled a no-confidence vote in the government for next week.
Palestinian officials say the verbal attacks on Abbas are unfair. They point out that Abbas has outlined a detailed plan to bring Gaza under control, and has already begun incorporating gunmen affiliated with the ruling Fatah movement into the security services. They also argue that Israel moved up its pullout date without warning nor sufficient co-ordination, weakening the government and spurring chaos.
On the morning Israel left, thousands of Palestinians, desperate for freedom after decades of harsh Israeli occupation, overwhelmed Palestinian and Egyptian security forces and crossed the border into Egypt. Along with people, guns and drugs made it back into Gaza.
It took several days before Abbas’ security forces could bring the border under control.
Abbas’ defenders say it’s unrealistic to expect the Palestinian Authority to end Gaza’s chaos overnight.
“This place is full of weapons, full of militias, factions, armed groups, everyone now wants a share of the cake … and this is something that takes time. This is not something that can be solved quickly,” said Palestinian planning minister Ghassan Khatib.
Security is the most important item on Abbas’ agenda because without it, detailed arrangements with Israel to allow goods and people to move freely in and out of Gaza – the lifeline of the strip’s economy – will be endangered, and that in turn will endanger Abbas’ rule.
And if Abbas, popularly known as Abu Mazen, fails to restrain militants and end the chaos, there will likely be little pressure on Israel for further withdrawals in the West Bank – with Israeli hard-liners pointing to the Gaza failure as justification to avoid future concessions.
Many Palestinians complain that Israeli policies have weakened Abbas, including the reluctance to allow free movement for Palestinians.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said that Israel hopes “Abu Mazen will succeed in creating good government in Gaza, a situation with the rule of law, not…the rule of armed groups.”
“Our assessment is that the jury is still out,” Regev said.
In Gaza today, gunmen kidnap foreigners to blackmail the government and rival gangs rule the streets.
With weak, ill-equipped, badly trained and often competing security forces, Abbas says he wants to persuade the militants to lay down their weapons and join the political process. So far, they have thumbed their noses at him.
For the first time, Hamas will participate in parliament elections, and the group is expected to make a strong showing. It has held several large military-style parades through Gaza in the past week, attracting tens of thousands of supporters.
Palestinian lawmaker Hanan Ashrawi said time is running out for Abbas to act more forcefully.
“It’s time for intervention,” she said. “It’s time for the political leadership to assert itself. Otherwise the armed groups will fill the vacuum.
