BBC (Monday): Growing pressure on Arafat for reform

[Jack Rabbit]

From the BBC Online
Dated Monday August 2 14:35 GMT (7:35 am PDT)

Growing pressure on Arafat
By Magdi Abdelhadi
BBC Arab affairs analyst

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is coming under mounting pressure to reform the way the Palestinian Authority is governed.
Many young Palestinian militants are calling for change
In recent weeks, there have been a string of kidnappings, assassination attempts, street protests and gun battles between militants and security forces . . . .
(A) powerful contender to succeed Mr Arafat, Mohammad Dahlan, expressed support for the young militants in Gaza and the West Bank who have taken up arms to demand reform.
When Israel insisted there could be no peace talks without reforming the PA, the Palestinians viewed the demand with suspicion and closed ranks behind Mr Arafat.
That was nearly two years ago. But the past few weeks have seen a dramatic change.

Read more.

[Jack Rabbit]

1. BBC Profile: Mohammed Dahlan

From the BBC Online
Dated April 23

Profile: Mohammed Dahlan
By Raffi Berg
BBC News Online

Mohammed Dahlan, the man agreed as the Palestinian Authority's minister of state for security, was until recently one of the most powerful Palestinians next to Yasser Arafat and retains the potential to replace him.
Mr Arafat had opposed his selection but Prime Minister-designate Mahmoud Abbas secured Mr Dahlan's nomination after bitter wrangling.
The former Preventative Security Chief for the Gaza Strip is one of the youngest Palestinian leaders and has the confidence of the United States and, to some extent, Israel.
He is, according to Israeli media, the only Palestinian besides Mr Arafat to have been granted a private meeting with former US President Bill Clinton.
Mr Dahlan is someone the Israelis feel they could do business with.

We may need to get familar with Mr. Dahlan. Soon.

[bemildred]

2. Sounds rather like the same old blather to me.

Except maybe that some of the "young Palestinian militants" may
have become fed up with his sorry ass.

Let's hope I'm wrong, getting rid of Yassir would be progress,
but I don't think that Arik will like it.

[Jack Rabbit]

3. Careful for you wish for

Getting rid of Saddam was "progress", too. Unless it's done in the most reckless and clumsey way imaginable.

[bemildred]

4. It is true that good intentions are not enough.

However, as with getting rid of Bush, it's hard to see
how some changes can be screwed up. I suppose one could
point to, say, Idi Amin as an even worse case, and I suppose
Yassir is not quite in that category. Nevertheless, I cannot
see at this point how getting rid of Arafat could make things
worse. The whole dog-an-pony show of surrounding him and
killing a few minions and attacking him with propaganda all
the time seems clearly designed to shore him up. He has long
been corrupt and ineffective and narcissistic, and therefore
the perfect foil for the manipulations of Sharon and his
predecessors. If he were to be dispensed with, entire new
propaganda campaigns and strategies would needed.

But I do not mean to disregard your point, which is well taken.

[Jack Rabbit]

5. If the Palestinian people don't get Arafat soon, Father Time will

Arafat is in his mid-seventies and widely held to be in poor health. One way or another, he won't be the Palestinian leader much longer.

Like many autocratic dictators, he's taken little care to see that there is an orderly transition after his passing. What's worse is that his penchant for shady dealing has gotten worse over the years, not better. Does he think he's going to take his ill-gotten gains with him to the next world?

If he fails to leave a legacy of an independent an sovereign Palestinian state, then the least he can do is leave behind a clean foundation for that state. He is even failing at that.

[Gimel]

6. Another 5 years is too long

Arafat seems to still hold the power. This is from todays Ha'aretz report:

Regarding the intra-Palestinian violence in the territories, Ze'evi-Farkash said former Palestinian Authority Gaza security chief Mohammed Dahlan is failing in his struggle with PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. Ze'evi-Farkash said he believes Dahlan commenced his struggle against the PA chairman too soon.

The military intelligence chief also said Arafat is deceiving his prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, and added that the promises the PA chairman made to Qureia regarding transfer of responsibility for PA security forces were without basis.

Ze'evi-Farkash believes there will be further Palestinian opposition to Arafat in the territories and called the PA chairman's reforms deceitful and fictitious.

The intra-Palestinian struggle is focusing on the question of who will control the territories from which Israel evacuates.


In this item..half way down the page.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. I doubt Arafat will last five years.

I doubt he will last another two.

[JohnLocke]

8. Arafat will live forever

Like Castro. They will never die. ;)

[geek tragedy]

9. I can't believe he hasn't gotten whacked by other Palestinians.

He's long overdue.