(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh - Fatah leaders, including Mahmoud Abbas, are no longer hiding their desire to topple the Hamas government and to return to power as soon as possible. They are prepared to do almost everything, including unleashing hundreds of Fatah militiamen and policemen to torch government buildings and the offices of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Abbas is being assisted by a handful of Fatah officials and warlords who are still viewed by many Palestinians as icons of corruption and mismanagement. Demands by representatives of the "young guard" in Fatah to reform the party have been brushed aside in favor of the anti-Hamas campaign. A growing number Palestinians don't like the fact that the outside world is trying to reinstate the same guys who were voted out last January. The power struggle between Fatah and Hamas is not perceived as a conflict over the future of the peace process with Israel, but as a fight over money and power between those who lost the election and those who won. Yet a defeated and humiliated Hamas would be much more dangerous. Supplying Abbas with more M16s "so that he could confront Hamas" plays into the hands of his opponents and makes him look like a puppet serving the interests of the U.S. and Israel.
2006-06-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive