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As Prospects for Peace Talks Grow Dim, Opposition Mounts Against Abbas
(Wall Street Journal) Charles Levinson - Prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace have gone dim since talks broke off last month. Once-optimistic Obama administration officials seem to have nearly given up hope of brokering a deal to revive talks anytime soon. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, 75, is facing mounting dissent from within his own party, including an increasingly public challenge from a bloc of influential, next-generation leaders. Internal criticism of Abbas is nothing new, but the current opposition within Fatah has gained a broader base and appears more organized than in the past. This bloc appears to favor Nasser al-Qudwa, 51, as the next leader, a nephew of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and a seasoned diplomat. The bloc also includes Mohammad Dahlan, 49, who enjoyed cozy relations with Washington, beginning with the Clinton administration, and Jibril Rajoub, 57, who controlled Palestinian security forces in the West Bank until 2002. The Fatah faction that has emerged to challenge Abbas is less supportive of negotiations with Netanyahu's government.