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| Palestinian Authority near collapse? |
| 2004-02-18 |
| External political pressures, internal power struggles, and multiple financial crises have brought the Palestinian Authority to the brink of collapse, Palestinian and Israeli officials and analysts say, raising concerns that a possible Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip could create a chaotic vacuum and throw control of the territory into the hands of the Islamic extremist group Hamas. The mounting problems have reportedly caused a major rift between longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, who is under intense pressure from Egypt, European nations, and the United States to undertake reforms of financial and security systems that would prepare the authority to reassume control of Gaza. At a news conference in Germany yesterday, Qurei denied reports that he has threatened to resign because Arafat is blocking the reforms. Indecision, uncertain loyalties, and pervasive corruption in the authority and in Arafat’s Fatah movement are influencing European nations -- formerly the largest source of aid to the Palestinians -- to reduce financial assistance, local and foreign observers say. These problems are creating greater receptiveness in Washington to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s preparations for unilateral separation from the Palestinians, they say. Three senior US officials are due to arrive in Jerusalem today to discuss Sharon’s proposal to evacuate 17 Jewish settlements in Gaza and to make changes in the route of Israel’s controversial West Bank barrier that would make it more acceptable to the United States and Europe. "Frankly, there is chaos among the [Palestinian] security forces," said Mustafa Issa, governor of Ramallah and a longtime Arafat loyalist, "and there is much corruption." Reflecting deepening disillusionment at all levels of society, Issa said he would like to see European countries sympathetic to the Palestinian people "control this area for the next five years — eight years if they are good." Palestinians tried to administer their own affairs from the mid-1990s to the present, he said, "and we did not succeed." A senior Israeli specialist in Palestinian affairs, who spoke on condition that his name not be published, said "the feeling that things are falling apart in the Palestinian Authority is not completely new, but in recent weeks there are increasing manifestations of it really happening." Developments included the mass resignation of hundreds of members of Fatah, who faulted the organization for condoning corruption and failing to provide leadership; a rash of attacks by militants on Palestinian and other Arab journalists, who subsequently said they would refuse to cover Palestinian Authority news until law and order were restored, and sharp reductions in aid to the authority from donors in Europe who are concerned about the apparent misuse of their money. Issa and other Arafat loyalists have long blamed the Palestinian Authority’s administrative problems on the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, but with the situation now rapidly worsening, growing numbers of Palestinians and sympathizers are publicly pointing the finger of blame at Fatah, and at Arafat himself. "It is a disaster," said Bassem Eid, director of the East Jerusalem-based Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group. "The problem is not just the occupation, it is much bigger. Nablus is ruled by thugs. The people are killing each other." At least 27 people have been killed by fellow Palestinians in Nablus in the last year, police there say. So deep has the Palestinian discontent grown that Imad Shakur, one of Arafat’s numerous advisers, recently wrote a withering critique that was published in a broad range of Palestinian newspapers, including the main newspaper of the Palestinian Authority, which is run by a close Arafat associate. Shakur urged Arafat to outlaw all militias, to dismantle Fatah, and to encourage all Palestinian factions and movements to convert themselves into political parties. "This is not an easy matter," Shakur wrote, "but the reality is not easy either. We have to take a strategic decision. When the world does not cry for our victims, and is not saddened by the uprooting of Palestine olive trees, it does not mean the world is bad. It means that our policy is wrong." International disaffection extends far beyond the United States and Israel, which have long been hostile to Arafat. European aid to the Palestinian Authority is dropping sharply as Arafat continues to block financial reforms. French and British media last week reported on huge cash transfers to Arafat’s wife, Suha, who lives in Paris, and German media followed with a report that EU investigators believe Arafat has been diverting donations to terror organizations. "The Europeans are sending him a signal in their own way," said Eran Lerman, former deputy director of Israeli military intelligence. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #11 Why do I think the EU is cutting funds because Europe's economy is sputtering badly and tax revenues are down?Blaming Arafat and PA for corruption is face-saving way of cutting funding-after all,Arafat and PA didn't suddenly discover how to siphon off funds yesterday,it's been known for years. |
| Posted by: Stephen 2004-2-18 6:55:48 PM |
| #10 "The problem is not just the occupation, it is much bigger. Nablus is ruled by thugs. The people are killing each other." The "country" is a wreck. Blame it on the "Zionist conspiracy" but the Paleos have dug their own graves (or someone may for them). I wonder if they are cheering in the streets now like they did on 9/11. |
| Posted by: dataman1 2004-2-18 2:58:49 PM |
| #9 LH: Remember -- the bush admin got the EU to shut off funding to Hamas and declare Hamas a terrorist organization. and so, another turn of the crank. |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2004-2-18 2:51:56 PM |
| #8 Dont know if the EU expects Arafat to change or not - and they dont really need (and may not even want) for him to change completely - just stop being so openly corrupt as to embarrasse them. In any case, if they cut off his funds, they cut off the embarrassment, and the internal political cost in Europe (there are SOME voters there who actually ask why their money is wasted on the PA) More interesting is the prospect that Israeli withdrawl from Gaza will lead to open war between Hamas and Dahlan. Either way Israel wins - if Dahlan wins they have someone they can talk to, someone who is apparently more sensible and with greater understanding of cause and effect than Arafat. If Hamas wins, they can go after Hamas from the air without the euros and others whining that its undermining the PA. Then attempt something similar in the West Bank. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2004-2-18 1:53:02 PM |
| #7 SDB at USS Clueless http://denbeste.nu/cd_log_entries/2004/01/UpagainsttheWall.shtml wrote an opinion article that this seems to support. |
| Posted by: Dave 2004-2-18 1:11:13 PM |
| #6 Does the EU really think this will get arafuk to say "oops...the jig is up. perhaps I should negotiate in good faith with Israel, sue for peace, dismantle terrorist infrastructure, stop teaching and preaching hate for Jews, stop saying one thing in english and another in arabic, stop sending money to my wife (etc etc etc?" Hardly. Two rules of physics applies here: Objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, arafuk will simply do more, not less of the same in response to the pressure. He will disrupt investigations into corruption. He will sow seeds of discontent and mistrust among previous allies. He will somehow attempt to spin the chaos in gaza after the Israeli pullout to his advantage. He will pay graft to influential people. And through it all there are those in the west who can see nothing wrong with such behavior amongst the palis nor arafuk. In fact, they promote it. Unintentionally, but factually. And you can thank al-guardian, BBC-Akbar, UC Berkley and the MSA, and the like, for that. |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2004-2-18 12:20:27 PM |
| #5 Palestinian Authority near collapse? How would anyone ever tell that Hell Hole has collapsed? |
| Posted by: Capsu78 2004-2-18 12:19:50 PM |
| #4 The Palis are blaming someone other than the Jooooos? *tap *tap* Whoa! Great warhks! |
| Posted by: Steve from Relto 2004-2-18 11:47:57 AM |
| #3 European aid to the Palestinian Authority is dropping sharply as Arafat continues to block financial reforms. French and British media last week reported on huge cash transfers to Arafat’s wife, Suha, who lives in Paris, and German media followed with a report that EU investigators believe Arafat has been diverting donations to terror organizations. Gee, really? Wotta surprise. Freakin' morons... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-2-18 10:54:23 AM |
| #2 CF - good point! "a possible Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip could create a chaotic vacuum and throw control of the territory into the hands of the Islamic extremist group Hamas." So what? Hamas, Arafat, what's the difference?? As the money for hating Jews and America dries up, the Palestinian people are starting to look about for real jobs. But unfortunately for them, the Europeans are starting to wake up to understand that Islamists don't love to hate Americans and Jews in the same mild way that they do- the Islamists mean to destroy Western Civilization. |
| Posted by: B 2004-2-18 10:49:35 AM |
| #1 Blame is being assigned to someone besides Israel? That spiked my suprise meter. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-2-18 9:37:07 AM |