Let Abbas spring free from the jaws of Fatah and technocrats


July 14, 2015
Sarah Benton


A tired President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a meeting with the Revolutionary Council of his ruling Fatah party, in the West Bank city of Ramallah on June 16, 2015. Photo by Abbas Momani / AFP

President Abbas between veteran politicians and technocrats

By Nasser Laham, Ma’an news
July 14, 2015

It seems President Mahmoud Abbas’s honeymoon with the technocrat government is about to come to an end. Those who have met the president in recent months will have seen easily how tired he has become, as he realizes that some ministries have failed to manage issues critical to Palestinian citizens, while others have failed even to carry out their jobs.

Let’s imagine the president in a meeting with other Palestinian Authority leaders, and after breaking their Ramadan fast, one of the leaders turns to him and says, “Brother Abu Mazin! You have been unjust to us and the technocrats!” The official would then say that the decision to entrust technocrats who are not experienced in politics had been too hasty and it would have been better if they were left to do the work they were trained for — in studies and libraries — and leave politics to the veteran politicians. Surprisingly, the president would remain silent — unable to defend the technocratic government of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.

An expected cabinet reshuffle which has been discussed lately is the last chance Hamdallah will be given. After that, it will be very difficult for the president to defend Hamdallah’s government before the PLO factions who have made a unanimous call for an entirely new Palestinian government to replace the current one. The factions also decided that the prime minister must put forward an effective plan for his government that will guarantee success on issues including economic prosperity, ending the blockade of Gaza, taking control of Gaza, rebuilding it, preparing for new elections, and allocating whatever financial aid is needed to help the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem remain firm in the face of Israeli practices. If the government fails to operate in full capacity with complete success, if it fails to interact with the popular committees in refugee camps instead of cracking down on them, the government will fall before the end of the year.


Mohammed Dahlan, softening in his attitude to Fatah leader, Abu Mazen / Mahmoud Abbas. Photo by AFP, Getty images

The decision by the Palestinian High Court in Ramallah to cancel the seizure of funds belonging to an NGO headed by ex-prime minister Salam Fayyad is a leadership move in the right direction. Fayyad came out victorious and gained the sympathy of the Palestinian public. Meanwhile, the attorney-general who made the decision to seize Fayyad’s funds came out with a tarnished reputation that is likely to affect his future career. In fact, a meeting between President Abbas and Fayyad ended all discussion of the case and brought a halt to all those who like to fish in troubled waters from creating further conflict between the president and iconic Palestinian leaders. The case has actually brought Fayyad and Abbas very close — to the extent that some leaders who have recently grown less influential have been hurrying to Fayyad in the hope of gaining favour through him.

Furthermore, the High Court’s recent decision to reject an application to remove the immunity of former Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan was a balanced decision. Having read what Dahlan wrote on his Facebook page, I noticed that he has recently changed his approach toward the president. He has abandoned one that is strongly offensive for that of someone defending their rights. He has decided on his own affairs, but as journalists we have the right to say for the record that the recent meetings of Fatah lawmakers were stormy, and a majority of lawmakers opposed the idea of removing Dahlan’s immunity and fought in defense of their beliefs. They played a constructive role at a critical moment. I personally asked the president about Dahlan and he said it would be left to the Palestinian courts to have the final say. The ball is likely in the court of Palestinian judiciary who is now responsible for taking the ship to a safe shore.

President Abbas is now surrounded by veteran politicians on one side and technocrats on the other, and he seemingly has to choose between them. I personally think that he should not allow himself to be in a situation where he has to choose between the veterans — for whose ambitions the sky is the limit — and technocrats — where the sky is the limit for their patience and endurance. Instead, he must surround himself with highly qualified leaders of organizations, popular unions and trade unions no matter how difficult that will be.

Ultimately, only trade unions and popular unions are capable of protecting the Palestinian homeland from danger.

Nasser Laham is the editor-in-chief of Ma’an News Agency.

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