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The Palestinian Cause is Being Hijacked

[Daily Star-Lebanon] Michael Young - The speculation over who killed Kamal Medhat, the no. 2 leader of the PLO in Lebanon who died near Sidon on Monday in a roadside bomb blast, will continue for some time. Fatah retains much support among the Palestinians in Lebanon, and it's not the murder of Kamal Medhat that will reverse this. However, if Fatah's leadership comes under more attack and is unable to distribute money and services in the way it has managed to in the past year, the balance may slowly shift away. Next week's Doha Arab summit will determine whether the so-called moderate Arab states have any valid rejoinder to the very plain Syrian and Iranian efforts to hijack the Palestinian cause. It's no secret that Hamas leaders would like to take control of the PLO away from Fatah, just as it's no secret that Syria tried during the Gaza war to persuade other Arab states to distance themselves from the 2002 Arab peace plan. With Hamas these days largely doing Syrian and Iranian bidding, the Syrians are in a position to strengthen their bargaining hand by manipulating Palestinian affairs.
2009-03-27 06:00:00
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