(Jordan Times/Al-Jazeerah) - Walid M. Sadi Arafat has become an icon for the Palestinians. Abbas remains a leader imposed from the outside. As long as he fails to earn his authority from within the Palestinian ranks, he will continue to be a lightweight prime minister unable to make hard decisions on behalf of his people.While Abbas is the first to have spoken out openly and clearly against the militarization of the Palestinian intifada, he remains vulnerable and unappreciated by the majority of his radicalized people. It is not the issue of the Palestinian prisoners that is breaking the back of Abbas. The fate of the prisoners is not even on the list of items to be dealt with in the early stages of the roadmap. But Arafat chose to make this a burning issue now. There is a power struggle within the Palestinian ranks and the sooner it is settled the sooner the Palestinians can move forward in their struggle for freedom and independence.
2003-07-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive