Israeli newspaper: Mahmoud Abbas is the most isolated person in the Middle East

Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, published a report in which it talked about the situation that blew up the Palestinian street recently, noting that what happened in Gaza will lead to the final undermining of the Palestinian Authority and the status of its President Mahmoud Abbas.

A new generation does not believe in settlement with Israel

In an article by Israeli writers Shaul Arieli and Arnon Regulator, the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz said that this will push a new generation that does not believe in an accommodation with Israel.

The authors said; “The policy of Israel headed by Benjamin Netanyahu towards Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization, as expressed in the last war, can give Hamas priority to represent the Palestinian Prime Time Zone.”

The authors explained that the absence of American initiatives will push towards what they called “religious conflict”, just as extremists such as Smotrich and Ben Ghubeir want.

The authors added: “Just as Operation Dignity in Jordan in March 1968 gave the PLO a priority to represent the Palestinians.”

And the newspaper continued: “Arafat succeeded in exploiting Israel’s failure in Operation Dignity in order to carry out an operation to remove King Hussein from his position as the representative of the Palestinians in the West Bank.”

And she continued, “The same is true with Hamas, as it exploited the state of confusion in Jerusalem in order to increase its influence in the West Bank and among some of the Palestinians of Israel, as well as removing Fatah from its first position in the PLO.”

And they said; The American diplomat and journalist Gloves Maksoud wrote in 1997 that in the aftermath of Operation Dignity, “for the Arabs, the organization has transformed into an embodiment of hope that has returned beating.”

And they continued: “The Arab peoples put in the hands of the PLO the formulation of policies, the creation of leaders and the formulation of strategies for the new struggle.”

Hamas is waging a fierce war with Israel

They pointed out that Hamas was established by the Muslim Brotherhood in the Gaza Strip, headed by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, at the outbreak of the first intifada, after they had accumulated strength in the eighties.

Until 2006 – the authors continue – Hamas waged a fierce war against Israel and the Oslo Accords. “Hamas’ decision, after Israel’s separation from Gaza in 2005, took its role in the political struggle over the leadership of the Palestinian Prime Time Zone by participating in the Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006, which was a step for it.” Importance.

And to continue: “Hamas President, Ismail Haniyeh, explained the matter as follows: Hamas is not interested in local control, but rather is interested in creating a major historical change represented in directing efforts to enter the Palestinian Authority government and create a new Palestinian Liberation Organization.”

And the newspaper continued: “That is, Hamas wanted to take the position of the Palestine Liberation Organization as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian Prime Time Zone.”

The authors said; Sinwar said in 2017, “We as a Prime Time Zone are still in the stage of national liberation, and we cannot give up our weapons. Our weapons must be under a comprehensive national umbrella in which all Palestinians participate, and this umbrella is the Liberation Organization.”

The authors added: “Sinwar admitted what most Israeli government ministers do not, which is that the Palestine Liberation Organization, despite its weakness, is the best platform for Hamas to penetrate the Gaza border into the West Bank,” as they put it.

Mahmoud Abbas is the most isolated person in the Middle East

On the face of it, they said, Abbas turned out to be the most isolated person in the Middle East. isolated in the general Arab context; Because he did not talk with Arab leaders in order to coordinate positions on the current crisis; Isolated in his organization, he opened.

Because of him, it was divided into three camps (those who support him and the Al-Qudwa-Barghouthi List, and those who support Muhammad Dahlan), two of whom began working together to replace him before the elections, and even stronger in the aftermath of their abolition.

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They also stressed that his situation in the PLO is “miserable; His allies are six small organizations without a public presence, four other organizations in the Liberation Organization that have a presence in the Palestinian street, joined his opponents or adopted the positions of Hamas.”

In the past year, Abbas also lost two of the PLO’s symbols in the world, the organization’s Secretary-General, Saeb Erekat, who died, and Hanan Ashrawi, who resigned in a showmanship because of his dictatorial behavior, according to the newspaper.

The authors continued: “Abbas in fact enjoys institutional legitimacy for being the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization, but he has lost the legitimacy that rests on elections; Because he was elected only once and only in 2005. ”

The authors pointed out that “Fatah’s agreement with Hamas last September to establish a new Palestinian National Council to replace the one that Fatah has controlled since 1968, is the biggest threat to Abbas and Fatah.”

Palestinian elections

The newspaper continued: “In the new National Assembly, there are 350 members; 132 of them are the members of the Legislative Council who could have been elected in the elections that were canceled, and Hamas, even before the recent events, had expected to be the largest party in the new Legislative Council, and to win, according to polls, 50-60 seats, which constitutes 15 in percent of the new National Assembly.

Other members of the Palestinian National Council may be elected, in a way that has not yet been determined, from among the communities outside the territories, which often support the positions of Abbas’ opponents and independent candidates.

As for Fatah, he expected it to turn into a small minority. But the threat to Abbas and Fatah is not limited to Hamas.

The hottest Palestinian story at the moment is the “independent lists”, and they are enthusiastic, militaristic youth who were the hard core of the demonstrators in occupied East Jerusalem, inside “Israel” and in the West Bank last month.

And the talk is about activists in social networks who have hundreds of thousands of followers. These are expected to tip the scales in any parliament or national assembly in the future, according to the article.

The authors concluded by saying; “Israel, headed by Netanyahu, can say that there is no Palestinian partner for a permanent agreement, while ignoring that it is itself that created this reality.”

And the authors continued: “In the absence of an initiative by the Biden administration, which adheres to the policy of the ostrich, the conflict will take a religious character, just as extremists such as Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Ghabeir and others want a fierce war.”

Either we or they, Israel, along with the United States and Egypt, can still stop this process if they pursue the opposite policy of strengthening the PLO and weakening Hamas.

 

Arab Observer

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