Palestinian leaders anxiously followed reports of Ariel Sharon's deteriorating health Thursday, fearing the prime minister's departure from the political scene could worsen turmoil in the West Bank and Gaza — or even derail Palestinian elections. | Like teens acting out but secretly glad when Dad sez "no." Some of the smarter Paleo leaders recognize that their wards are absolutely out of control and that Arik can't be a convenient bogeyman any more. |
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas telephoned Israeli officials to express concern over Sharon's condition. "We look with great worry on what might happen if (Sharon) is impaired," Abbas said upon returning to Ramallah late Thursday. The two leaders last met in June to coordinate the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza. During the tense meeting, Sharon scolded Abbas for not doing enough to halt terror attacks.
Before he took ill, Sharon — who suffered a minor stroke on Dec. 18 before his massive stroke Wednesday night — had been expected to lead his Kadima Party and its peacemaking agenda to a solid victory in March 28 Israeli elections. That vote was called after Sharon defected from the hard-line Likud Party he formed 30 years ago, despairing of persuading it to make more concessions to the Palestinians. The vacuum created by Sharon's absence is liable to translate into more indecision and tougher positions toward the Palestinians, Palestinian officials said. "We are really concerned," said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. "We hope that competition (to succeed him) will not be at our expense, meaning more settlements, more walls, more incursions, more assassinations, more occupation, more dictates." Mohammed Dahlan, a senior Palestinian official, said Sharon's departure from the political stage would "turn the political situation on its head, both in Israeli society and the entire region." Abbas, already under pressure at home to postpone parliamentary elections likely to batter his ruling Fatah party, said he didn't expect Sharon's health to affect the balloting. But he repeated that the elections might be canceled if Israel makes good on a threat to bar voting in Jerusalem. Underlying the dispute over voting procedures are competing claims by Israel and the Palestinians to the city as a capital. Two U.S. envoys who were to arrive in the region Thursday, apparently to try to settle the dispute, postponed their trip.
A Hamas spokesman, Mushir al-Masri, predicted a change for the better if Sharon leaves the political scene. "If Sharon dies, no doubt this new development will change the world political map, and to the good, because a dictator and a murderer will be departing," al-Masri said. Hamas has largely suspended its attacks on Israel over the past year because it wants to soften its militant image as it heads into Jan. 25 elections. The smaller Islamic Jihad, which is not contending the elections, has been responsible for all six suicide bombing against Israel during the 11 months a just-expired truce was in effect. "The resistance is not linked to Sharon or to any person," said Khaled Batsh, an Islamic Jihad spokesman.
Ordinary Palestinians were divided over whether Sharon was Israel's greatest villain or their best chance for peace. But there was no outpouring of glee in Palestinian towns, as there was when Sharon was hospitalized two weeks ago after his first stroke. "Sharon went a long way down the path to peace, and he is the only Israeli leader capable of making peace with the Palestinians," said Jalal Salman, 26, a spokesman for An-Najah University in Nablus.
| I'll just note that the spokesman for An-Nanjah is hardly a "Paleo-on-the-street" interview... |