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Support for Abu Mazen is as Fickle as it is Wide

(Guardian-UK) Hussein Agha and Robert Malley - Uncomfortable with how negotiations had proceeded up until the Camp David summit, Abu Mazen was adamantly opposed to the outbreak of violence that followed it. He looked at violence in cost-benefit terms, and while the costs were high, benefits were few: Israelis closed ranks, the U.S. took sides, the international community turned its back, and the PA fell apart. Instead, he believes the goal ought to be to engage with Israeli political groups and talk in a language that Washington understands. In his vision, out of Palestinian restraint will come both international support and receptivity by the Israeli public. Four years into a devastating armed confrontation with Israel, Palestinians are in shock, afraid, and tired. Neither the public nor any significant constituent group is in the mood for a fight. Those who adhere fully to his political vision are few, but for now, Abu Mazen is relatively free to act on his own. He has achieved this position because his political inclinations are in harmony with his people's immediate priorities: security, a normal life, and freedom of movement. Ariel Sharon has won the current round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Abu Mazen's support is as wide as it is fickle. Some who half-heartedly support him now will break ranks and calls for renewed violence will be heard. Abu Mazen hopes that, by then, he will have produced tangible returns. To succeed, he is banking on support from the international community, principally the U.S.
2005-01-10 00:00:00
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