'Pressing realities of the day'

by Musa Keilani

The time has come for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to take a decision to put his house in order. The Palestinian territories are descending into chaos because of the internal crises resulting largely from Arafat's reluctance, even refusal, to let go of powers that he deems are vital to his strength and status as leader of the Palestinian struggle. His abrasive style of leadership and of imposing his decisions are becoming annoying.

His style of administration leaves little room for others to express their ideas. The people around him are corrupt and he has done little to curb them, perhaps because he depends on them for support. His leadership approach could actually be blamed for the crisis he is finding himself in today, but that is a story better not recounted because it would not help the Palestinian cause.

Arafat is, of course, respected for his devotion and commitment to the cause of his people. "Al khityar", as he is fondly called, is a symbol of the Palestinian nation. He commands wide respect. However, none of these things is going to help the Palestinians at this crucial juncture in history. They have to have a united front to counter Israel's evil designs on Palestine.

From what we saw over the last two weeks, Arafat is having trouble coming to terms with the fact that a new generation of Palestinians has come on the scene and they see things differently. They have seen the situation in Palestine as steadily turning against their aspirations and dreams of life in dignity and freedom and they blame their leadership for their problems. They want to change the situation, end the corruption in the ranks of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and streamline the struggle.

It does not mean that Arafat has to step down and allow them to take over the leadership. He only has to make room for reforms in the leadership and administration of the Palestinian territories, to fit in with the realities of the age. However, Arafat, as we all know, will not relent or make any compromise when it comes to what he sees as his right to have absolute power over the Palestinian struggle for independence, since he believes that right is his because of his long record of struggle against Israel.

But then, that is only a philosophy. The reality on the ground dictates otherwise. We have seen how things went from bad to worse for the Palestinians since the mid-90s. Hopes raised by the Oslo agreement were to be set aside to deal with the deceptive Israeli approach that enjoys the support of the United States. There is no longer anything called peace process, and it is nothing but a war of resistance that is being waged there. There is little room left for diplomacy with Israel under the leadership of Ariel Sharon who is steadily implementing his unilateral plans. He is among the biggest beneficiaries of the chaos in Palestinian ranks.

It is Arafat's own Fateh men who are demanding reforms and resorting to violence in order to press their demands. Some have suggested that Israelis have penetrated Fateh ranks and are skilfully exploiting the situation to deepen splits among the Palestinians. That might be true, but it does not change the reality that without reforms, the Palestinian struggle for liberation is destined to get weaker and weaker.

By refusing to accept Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia's resignation and insisting that Qureia stay on, Arafat is only complicating the situation. Obviously, Arafat feels that Qureia is the best man available in the ranks to serve as prime minister without challenging the president's authorities and powers. However, without being empowered to tackle the situation with decisiveness, Qureia, or any other prime minister for that matter, would be able to achieve little in terms of putting the Palestinian house in order. Arafat fears that granting such powers to the prime minister will marginalise him and deprive him of any meaningful say in leading the struggle that he headed for nearly 50 years. As a result, the Palestinian movement boils down to personalities, and that is the worst thing that could ever happen to a struggle for liberation from foreign occupation.

Arafat has to wake up to the pressing realities of the day; the sooner he decides to be pragmatic and fit in the political imperatives the better for his people and the struggle for liberation.

This article was published in the Sunday, July 25, 2004 edition of the Jordan Times. It is used here with permission.