Word: tanzim
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...Tanzim (which means the "organization") is led by rival warlords who pose a threat to Arafat's authority. Marwan Barghouti, 40, who helped orchestrate the six-year intifadeh from exile in Jordan, built himself a nice power base in the West Bank Tanzim until Arafat slapped his face a year ago for daring to challenge the Palestinian Authority. Then Arafat elevated another activist, Hussein Sheikh, to take over Barghouti's work among Fatah. And then Arafat changed tack again, publicly kissing Barghouti on the forehead late this summer. Both men claim to lead the Tanzim, both see their prominence...
Yasser Arafat must have had an objective in mind when he sat down in late September with leaders of the Tanzim, the Palestinians' grassroots militias, and instructed them to prepare for possible confrontation. Maybe he thought a judicious application of violence could strengthen his negotiating hand with the Israelis. Or he wanted to restore his footing with Palestinians alienated by the deeply frustrating process of peace. Or he had given up hope of ever negotiating a settlement acceptable to his people and decided to let them express their profound dismay...
That's when Arafat decided to marshal his Tanzim forces--maybe 2,000 street enforcers armed with automatic weapons and more or less loyal to his Fatah wing of the hydra-headed Palestinian cause--to prepare for an appropriate opportunity. Arafat, the Tanzim bosses say, explicitly warned them that clashes would come because Israel "wanted" to spark violence. It is tough to draw a solid line between Arafat's meetings and last week's violence. The Tanzim, to be sure, has its own agenda...
...Temple Mount to say "It's ours"--in-your-face confirmation that the Palestinians would never get a deal on Jerusalem that they could accept--it was pure provocation. Palestinians would inevitably express their anger. The Chairman was apparently ready to seize on it too. As a Tanzim chief tells it, Barghouti had visited Arafat in his Ramallah office the day before. "What do you think of Sharon's visit?" Barghouti asked. Arafat allegedly responded, "I want to light a fire, and I want it to burn the Israelis...
...company commanders. They are in their mid-20s, idealistic, intelligent, firm in their beliefs and happy to have this opportunity to meet. I have no doubt morale and readiness are high. At the end of the meeting, the commanders hurry back to their sectors since, as darkness descends, the Tanzim begin shooting at cars, army positions and houses...