As a postscript to last week's, uh, post about Salam Fayyad's Herzliya speech, Abdel Bari Atwan has an absolutely savage column (عربي) in today's Al-Quds Al-Arabi. For Arabic speakers, the whole thing is worth a read -- it does a good job capturing the disconnect between the Palestinian Authority's official position on peace talks and the Palestinian public's opinion.
A few choice passages:
There were differing views on Fayyad's speech, but many praised his "courage," and agreed with [Israeli president] Shimon Peres' description of Fayyad as the "Ben-Gurion of Palestine."
I don't know what courage it takes for a Palestinian prime minister to speak at a Zionist conference, one that focuses on security strategy, which tries to keep Israel strong and superior to its neighbors in the Arab and Islamic worlds -- a regional nuclear superpower.
[...] We are facing a serious attempt to circumvent the Palestinian Authority's requirements to return to the negotiating table: a freeze on Jewish settlements in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank. Fayyad went to this conference, and met with Netanyahu and Peres and other Israeli officials, despite the fact that the PA is supposed to stop negotiations and meetings with Israelis...
Atwan goes on to criticize the whole notion of "economic peace," backed by Netanyahu and by Fayyad, as a cop-out -- something that "relieves Israel of its international legal obligations, and distracts the Palestinians from the basic fundamental issues of resistance and the intifada."
Like I said above -- this is where Palestinian public opinion seems to stand right now. There's still majority support for a two-state solution, but that support is predicated on Israel taking concrete steps -- dismantling settlements, releasing prisoners, easing the Gaza blockade -- to advance the "peace process."
Fayyad's institution-building effort, and Netanyahu's "economic peace" program, tend to address what are second-order concerns for many Palestinians. So they're viewed with some suspicion.
Abbas, meanwhile, still hasn't formally agreed to proximity talks, despite the optimistic reports yesterday. He's reportedly asking the White House for clarification on how the talks will work -- who's involved, where they will be held, what time limit will be imposed -- and plans to make a final decision within a week.
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Categories: Israel, Israel & Palestine, Palestine, Regional News
Tags: Abdel Bari Atwan, Benjamin Netanyahu, economic peace, Herzliya conference, Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority, proximity talks, Salam Fayyad
1 Comment
I take exception with the portrayal of Mr. Atwan as a fair representative of the Palestinian public. Mr. Atwan is an idealist warrior against the Israeli state, and he can allow himself to be defiant from his safe seat in London, and his safe job position there. From his position Mr. Atwan is free to concentrate on the populistic and the short term without contemplating the immediate results of his actions.
Mr. Abbas and Fayad are physically closer to the Palestinian street and are more accountable to the Palestinian public than Mr. Atwan will ever be. They are less free to be idealistic and romantic, and are more confined by the on-ground realities and concerns of actual state-building.
Mr. Atwan's dreams of immediate gains may plant the seeds of the PA's future destruction. If Israel was to suddenly release all prisoners (most of them Hamas) and end the Gaza siege, in all probability the Palestinian Authority would quickly destabilize and collapse. We'll see either a prolonged bloody battle between Fatah and Hams (with an increased terror campaign which might lead to IDF reprisals) or a short violent coup. Both will kill any chance of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
The Gaza disengagement proves that such steps should only come as part of a bi-lateral agreement. Any other way will hurt the Palestinian statehood much more.
In Herzeliya Fayad has an important role of affecting Israeli public opinion, and the positions of the Israeli elite and defense establishment. These are people he will face in final status agreements, and it is important to win them over.
Fayad's appearance is a positive confidence building step towards dialog, which improves the palestinian position in a way that can't be achieved by any of Mr. Atwan's suggestions. His appearance improved the Israeli public perception a thousand times more than more of the same sniping at Israel in the international arena, like Mr. Atwan would have it.
Prisoners, the Gaza siege and the settlements are all worthy goals that should be solved as part of the process, not as an entry point, or else they may quickly lead to destabilization. Most of the issues (prisoners, the fence, the gaza siege) can be solved within in a single decision, once an agreement is reached. Most can be applied very quickly.
Things that Mr. Atwan ignores such as state building, economic growth, democratic education, security reform and most importantly - building trust with Israel - do not turn up over night. And these things are the responsibility of Fayad.
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