By Randa Abu Naeem
To understand the reasons behind the rapid deterioration of the Palestinian Left, especially following HamasÂ’ June 2007 take-over of the Gaza Strip, one needs to scrutinize the verbalized positions of itsÂ’ leaders. Interviews and media statements made by Abdul Rahim Malouh, Deputy Secretary General of the PFLP, following his release from Israeli prisons, indicates that the PFLP has chosen to support the right-wing within Fatah. Amazingly, this is also the position of the DFLP and the PeopleÂ’s Party, in spite of the pro-American agenda spouted and supported by Mahmoud Abbas and his cabal within Fatah.
The U-turn taken by the Palestinian Left should not come as a surprise since it has historically expressed an undemocratic world-view, both in general and in relation to itsÂ’ Palestinian agenda in particular. This lack of democracy is, of course, the outcome of its Stalinist ideological orientation. As a result of this dominant orientation, both the PeopleÂ’s Party (which has recognized Israel since its inception) and the DFLP (which made the proposal that led to the interim solution later accepted by the PLO), could not accept the results of the January 2006 Palestinian elections. These elections, in fact, are the only non ethno-religious elections in the entire Middle East to date. Contrary to popular Western myth, these elections once again proved that Israel is NOT the only democracy in the region. Israel on the other hand, is a democracy for Jews only, exactly like South AfricaÂ’s Apartheid democracy was for Whites only. Instead of building on this unprecedented achievement for peopleÂ’s power in the Arab World, the Palestinian secular forces chose to focus instead on creating convoluted justifications for their own failure to secure convincing electoral gains. They went on to turn a blind eye to the open secret of General Keith DaytonÂ’s widely circulated plan to orchestrate a coup deÂ’ tat using the PA security forces against the Hamas government - in effect colluding in a plan to subvert the democratic choice of the people.
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