Word: arafats
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...vote for a new President, optimists say, holds the key to progress. Bush had joined Sharon in spurning peace negotiations on the grounds that Arafat let violence flourish under his corrupt, incompetent authoritarian rule and so was not an acceptable partner for peace. For more than two years the U.S. and Israel turned their backs on the Palestinians. For those who construed Sharon's rejection of Arafat as an excuse to avoid negotiations altogether, the prospect of new management offers the Palestinians a chance to call the Israeli leader's bluff--though Israel was happy to ignore Arafat's legitimacy...
Many analysts believe that Abbas could win the election. If he did, his record is encouraging. Born the son of a shepherd in northern Galilee, the trained lawyer known as Abu Mazen was an exile for 50 years, a dedicated nationalist and, like Arafat, a founding member of Fatah, the primary faction in the P.L.O. As the big man's deputy, he charted his own path. In the 1970s he opened channels to Israeli peace activists, and in the early '90s he led the Palestinian side in the secret negotiations that culminated in Oslo. Under pressure to reform the dysfunctional...
Abbas and Qurei have signaled their intention to go ahead with elections, viewing them as essential for a credible post-Arafat government. Even the radical outfits Hamas and Islamic Jihad have called for a vote and a "collective leadership," which could bring them inside the political circle. The Bush Administration has signaled its willingness to assist the Palestinians in setting up a vote. A White House official says the U.S. has "already conveyed our concern that the elections be facilitated by Israel." That means leaning on Sharon to open up travel in the tightly constricted territories and to make arrangements...
Although the U.S. and Israel considered Arafat an obstacle, he was, for good or ill, the glue that held the pieces of Palestinian political life together. But his one-man rule crippled the development of potential successors and institutions that could provide stability after him. Now his death leaves a vacuum that could be filled by hard-line nationalists, warlords and terrorists. The dozen-plus security organs that Arafat set up have fought one another for dominance. In Gaza, a policy of armed resistance and generous social services has made Hamas the power to be reckoned with, whether...
...younger generation is clamoring for power, including reformers who want a more open, honest government and militants who earned their spurs fighting Israel. Though locked up in an Israeli prison, Marwan Barghouti, 44, leader of Fatah in the West Bank, is the most popular figure there after Arafat. His word from the cell block could help or hurt new leaders. Another rising star, Mohammed Dahlan, 43, former head of preventive security in Gaza, has street cred, the loyalty of members of the Palestinian Authority's influential security services and close relations with...