(Jerusalem Post) - Matthew Gutman When the 20 Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades gunmen popped off dozens of rounds from their M-16s, the audience at Abbas' campaign stop in Jenin Thursday first flinched, then hoped the arcing bullets would land elsewhere. "That is our greeting to Abu Mazen (Abbas)," crowed Zakaria Zubeidi. Then his men loosed another ear-splitting fusillade directly over Abbas' silver-haired head. Zubeidi's version of the 21-gun salute was as much a warning as a welcome to the Palestinian leader. When the rally and the ballistic fireworks ended, it was Zubeidi's name, and not Abbas', that the crowd chanted. After the rally Zubeidi said, "Let us be clear. I do not support the political path of Abu Mazen. I support him because I support the Fatah candidate." Zubeidi and other Fatah men who switched their allegiance from jailed Fatah boss Marwan Barghouti to Abbas now "understand that Fatah needs to unify in order to survive," says Palestinian analyst Iyad al-Malki. Also at stake are jobs. "I only look forward to taking a role in the next Palestinian leadership, where I will continue to fight for the Palestinians," Zubeidi said.
2004-12-31 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive