A New Political Program

Saturday, December 23, 2006

A New Political Program

The latest deadly confrontations between Hamas and Fatah are the culmination of an ongoing struggle over control of the so called Authority in the Palestinian Territories. Since their electoral victory in the last elections, the Hamas led government has been under siege by the US, Israel and the European Union and elements within the Palestinian Authority.

Hamas has taken its surprise victory as something greater than the reality on the ground suggest. The vote that propelled Hamas into this position was nationally recognized as a vote against Fatah and its corrupt legacy, not as a validation of Hamas’s tired rhetoric and sloganeering. While on the other hand, Fatah refuses to accept the results of the elections and has not only placed obstacles, such as strikes and protests, but has continuously worked to undermine the basic workings of the newly elected government. Fatah’s refusal to accept the results of the elections and Hamas’s refusal to work with other parties have led to a dual authority in the territories that are pulling in opposite directions. Both parties’ actions, directives, and public announcements are geared solely to consolidate and solidify their perceived authority while ignoring the national interests of the Palestinian people.

What is imperative on all parties to break from this impasse is the following:
Hamas has to understand that before calling for a national unity government there has to be a national unity political program. This program must include elements of all political positions forged into agreement by consensus. On the basis of that agreement the government is to be formed, and not on the basis of awarding ministries and bureaus based solely on allegiance to Hamas’s agenda. It is the duty of all Palestinian political leaders and patriotic independents to come together to draft this new Palestinian political program based on both internal and external realities. That political program must ensure unity and prevent the domination of any group or individual.

President Abbas’s demands that the Hamas government respect previous agreements (ie. Oslo 1 & 2 and the Wye River Accords, etc.) must be placed in the context of Israel blatantly ignoring dozens of international and bi-lateral agreements it has signed since its inception.

Furthermore, President Abbas's call for early elections must be recinded since there is no reason to undermine the democratic results of the elections no matter how objectionable the results are to the U.S., Israel and the Europeans.

Now is not the time to reflect in hindsight to the pre-Oslo days and dream of what could have been. Now is the time for all Palestinians to concentrate their energies in re-directing the misguided leadership, on both sides, to the true national struggle and national interests of the Palestinian people. Let us not be the generation that disregards the lessons of past national liberation movements. We must recognize that the Palestinian people, with or without this so-called authority, are still in their national liberation struggle phase, in which unity of all political stripes and all social and economic classes is paramount in order for liberation and independence.

In the Palestinian territories under the Israeli military occupation the true authority rests with any Israeli soldier who, at will, can trump any decision, law or act by the Hamas government or President Abbas’s office. Hence, the ongoing internal Palestinian conflict not only weakens what little authority the Palestinians may have, it strengthens exponentially the authority of the Israeli soldier.