A recent article in the London-based Saudi Arabian newspaper a-Sharq al-Awsat was revealing in its criticism of PLO leader Yasser Arafat and its point of view of the reforms demanded of his Palestinian Authority. In a pithy turn of phrase, the author, Amir Taheri, writes, ?For Arafat , politics is the art of rejecting the possible, dreaming the impossible, and promising the improbable all in the hope of spending one more day in the limelight.? As for the ongoing terrorist warfare with Israel, he comments, ?As a meaningful political process the second intifada is now over. This was the first popular revolt in history that did not produce anything resembling a clear set of demands. The main reason for this ambiguity was Arafat?s profound misunderstanding of politics.?
According to the a-Sharq al-Awsat columnist, ?Yasser Arafat, as usual, has absolutely no policy or project apart from ensuring his own political survival? For over a decade he has had one single concern ? to keep Washington happy without committing to any definite course of action.? The reason for this, writes Taheri, is that ?Arafat loves to walk the red carpet at the White House and project his image as a world statesman. He still dreams of one day getting from George W. Bush the same photo opportunity that Bill Clinton offered on so many occasions.? Accordingly, the column says, ?Arafat, true to his style, is ready to promise anything and sign anything including the Basic Law that he had sat upon for five years and described as ?unworkable.?? Members of the PA inner circle fair no better in the estimation of the Saudi Arabian?s critique. He writes, ?Arafat?s close entourage talk the reform talk because they hope this will make the Americans and Israelis happy and thus let them hang on to their positions for a while longer.?
The internal opposition groups, writes Taheri, men ?who made their entire political career inside the occupied territories, talk of reform for different reasons. They hope that this will lead to a gradual eclipse for Arafat and his entourage, allowing a new leadership with deep local roots to emerge.? That applies to the secular as well as ?the radical Islamist groups? who ?hope that all this talk will lead to fresh elections in which they could win a legal power base from which to launch their quest for absolute rule,? according to the article. Until now, writes Taheri, ?Arafat has survived by playing the Islamists and the nationalists against one another while promoting himself of as a kind of father figure and consensus leader. That game is becoming harder and harder to play as Palestinians realize that the emperor is naked?.? Despite this, the columnist observes, ?The fact is that the Palestinians have so far failed to produce an alternative leadership (They had one in 1991 but were forced by Israel to abandon it for Arafat).?
Other parties identified in the a-Sharq al-Awsat piece as having an interest in ?keeping the world talking about reforms? are Ariel Sharon (?[talk of reforms] keeps them off talking about Palestinian statehood and other uncomfortable subjects.?), the European Union (?Some $3 billion of European money has disappeared in the running sands of the ?Palestinians Authority? over the past few years with nothing resembling a regular system of accountability.?), CIA chief George Tenet (?to cover up the CIA?s earlier failure? to recruit Palestinian agents and ?friends???), and US Secretary of State Colin Powell (?to hide the fact that the Bush administration has absolutely no policy on the Palestine-Israel conflict besides occasional gesticulations.?).
In conclusion, the Saudi commentator suggests that ?[t]alk of reform in Palestine will get nowhere unless it is linked to the key issue: The creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state. The Palestinians need to develop their own peace plan part of which will deal with the political structures they hope to develop in their future state. Without such a plan all talk of reform would be a waste of time, and, sadly, also a waste of lives.?
According to the a-Sharq al-Awsat columnist, ?Yasser Arafat, as usual, has absolutely no policy or project apart from ensuring his own political survival? For over a decade he has had one single concern ? to keep Washington happy without committing to any definite course of action.? The reason for this, writes Taheri, is that ?Arafat loves to walk the red carpet at the White House and project his image as a world statesman. He still dreams of one day getting from George W. Bush the same photo opportunity that Bill Clinton offered on so many occasions.? Accordingly, the column says, ?Arafat, true to his style, is ready to promise anything and sign anything including the Basic Law that he had sat upon for five years and described as ?unworkable.?? Members of the PA inner circle fair no better in the estimation of the Saudi Arabian?s critique. He writes, ?Arafat?s close entourage talk the reform talk because they hope this will make the Americans and Israelis happy and thus let them hang on to their positions for a while longer.?
The internal opposition groups, writes Taheri, men ?who made their entire political career inside the occupied territories, talk of reform for different reasons. They hope that this will lead to a gradual eclipse for Arafat and his entourage, allowing a new leadership with deep local roots to emerge.? That applies to the secular as well as ?the radical Islamist groups? who ?hope that all this talk will lead to fresh elections in which they could win a legal power base from which to launch their quest for absolute rule,? according to the article. Until now, writes Taheri, ?Arafat has survived by playing the Islamists and the nationalists against one another while promoting himself of as a kind of father figure and consensus leader. That game is becoming harder and harder to play as Palestinians realize that the emperor is naked?.? Despite this, the columnist observes, ?The fact is that the Palestinians have so far failed to produce an alternative leadership (They had one in 1991 but were forced by Israel to abandon it for Arafat).?
Other parties identified in the a-Sharq al-Awsat piece as having an interest in ?keeping the world talking about reforms? are Ariel Sharon (?[talk of reforms] keeps them off talking about Palestinian statehood and other uncomfortable subjects.?), the European Union (?Some $3 billion of European money has disappeared in the running sands of the ?Palestinians Authority? over the past few years with nothing resembling a regular system of accountability.?), CIA chief George Tenet (?to cover up the CIA?s earlier failure? to recruit Palestinian agents and ?friends???), and US Secretary of State Colin Powell (?to hide the fact that the Bush administration has absolutely no policy on the Palestine-Israel conflict besides occasional gesticulations.?).
In conclusion, the Saudi commentator suggests that ?[t]alk of reform in Palestine will get nowhere unless it is linked to the key issue: The creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state. The Palestinians need to develop their own peace plan part of which will deal with the political structures they hope to develop in their future state. Without such a plan all talk of reform would be a waste of time, and, sadly, also a waste of lives.?