The Arab press is nearly monolithic in blaming Israel for the resignation of the Palestinian Authority’s prime minister Mahmoud Abbas (nom de guerre: Abu Mazen). There is, however, a difference of opinion as to whether or not other elements - American, mostly - were also responsible for Abu Mazen’s failure and downfall.
Israel, US
On September 8, 2003, the United Arab News Agency (WAM) out of Abu Dhabi carried a commentary by Mohammed Galadari that claimed, “[Abu Mazen] quit in frustration, as no help was coming from his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon, to establish an independent Palestinian state.” Sharon, the columnist wrote, “played a cruel joke on the Palestinians and made a mockery of the road map. He freed a few Palestinians but arrested hundreds more and went ahead with building a ‘Berlin Wall.’” Galadari asked, “How could he have delivered the goods? When he is not given time and chance to prove himself how could Abbas do justice to his job? How could he convince all the Palestinian factions when the principles of the road map had consistently been violated by Israel?” In short, Israel is at fault, according to the WAM columnist, because “Israelis have never listened to Abbas and his sane voice has been ignored.”
As it was put in the Egyptian Gazette,“It would be ridiculous to blame his disappointing decision to quit on a dispute with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on powers.” Rather, it was Israel’s “ruthless practices [that] undercut Abbas' stature in his compatriots' eyes,” the newspaper stated.
Another Egyptian newspaper, al-Gomhouria, agreed. Its Sunday editorial claimed, ““[Abu Mazen] could not deliver the promises he made over the road map. On the contrary, the Palestinians have since been exposed to more Israeli killing sprees, mass arrests, the demolition of more Palestinian homes and the seizure of more Palestinian lands.” However, the Egyptian newspaper expands the accusation to include “both Israel and the powers behind it...” That is, the US. According to the editorial, the israeli actions “happened without a finger being moved by the primary sponsor of the road map. Moreover, the US has offered the political and media cover needed for Israel’s crimes. The assassination attempts on Hamas’ spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and the others before him are a case in point to prove that neither Israel nor the US cares about the future of Abu Mazen or any other Palestinian who takes his place.”
London’s Saudi-backed al-Hayat newspaper carried a column by Abdulwahab Badrakhan on Monday that asserted, “Abbas... put up with all the Israeli violations of the truce and who endured the provocations, murders and invasions, was relying on the Americans to support him at some point by stopping Israel's destructive policies. However, he recently came to realize that Washington could not be expected to do such a thing.” His resignation, thus, “uncovered the American-Israeli ploy...” to force him into “overcoming the people and the President at once....”
Slightly more solicitous, but still focused on Israel as the culprit, Kuwait’s Khaleej Times carried a post-resignation commentary stating, “Israelis know full well that they have only themselves to blame for Abu Mazen's downfall.” However, unlike most other Arab media, the newspaper did not engage in hyperbole to explain the resignation: “When Israelis were facing attacks, they should have given him sufficient time to take stock of the situation instead of going after the alleged culprits on their own. Palestinian leaders, whether Arafat or Abu Mazen, could hardly be expected to resolve a 50-year-old problem overnight.”
Constructive Criticism
In contrast, Samir Ragab, writing in al-Gomhouria on September 7, chose to focus on the Arab failings that came to the fore in the Abu Mazen resignation: “Israel, the US and most Arab countries have won the bargain... Palestinians have made themselves game to the powers of evil.” The reason? “Arafat and Abu Mazen, previously comrades-at-arms, could not co-exist peacefully, although they had long retained the same goals.”
More specifically, Ahmad al-Rubii, writing for London’s Saudi-backed al-Sharq al-Awsat, decided to place much of the blame on PLO leader Yasser Arafat and on those living in his shadow. “Arafat is a long-serving Arab leader who has been controlling all aspects of the Palestinian cause and has consistently refused to share any of his powers,” the columnist wrote, “Even other leaders around him, even the ones who are opposed to his policies, are useless and remain living in an era of regression with ideas destined to failure.” Similarly, the Islamist alternatives - Hamas and Islamic Jihad - “lack a dynamic mentality and have opted for military confrontation. As a result, Palestinians feel more isolated than ever as they continue to mourn the daily deaths of their brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers,” al-Rubii wrote. Employing a particularly apt metaphor, the al-Sharq al-Awsat article concluded, “The general Palestinian public is like a passenger on board of a hijacked plane where at the end of the day, unfortunately, Israel will emerge as the only victor.”
In a similar vein, Samir Ragab wrote of the Arabs in the Palestinian Authority, “It is such a shame what they are doing to themselves, to their children and to their homeland.”
Israel, US
On September 8, 2003, the United Arab News Agency (WAM) out of Abu Dhabi carried a commentary by Mohammed Galadari that claimed, “[Abu Mazen] quit in frustration, as no help was coming from his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon, to establish an independent Palestinian state.” Sharon, the columnist wrote, “played a cruel joke on the Palestinians and made a mockery of the road map. He freed a few Palestinians but arrested hundreds more and went ahead with building a ‘Berlin Wall.’” Galadari asked, “How could he have delivered the goods? When he is not given time and chance to prove himself how could Abbas do justice to his job? How could he convince all the Palestinian factions when the principles of the road map had consistently been violated by Israel?” In short, Israel is at fault, according to the WAM columnist, because “Israelis have never listened to Abbas and his sane voice has been ignored.”
As it was put in the Egyptian Gazette,“It would be ridiculous to blame his disappointing decision to quit on a dispute with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on powers.” Rather, it was Israel’s “ruthless practices [that] undercut Abbas' stature in his compatriots' eyes,” the newspaper stated.
Another Egyptian newspaper, al-Gomhouria, agreed. Its Sunday editorial claimed, ““[Abu Mazen] could not deliver the promises he made over the road map. On the contrary, the Palestinians have since been exposed to more Israeli killing sprees, mass arrests, the demolition of more Palestinian homes and the seizure of more Palestinian lands.” However, the Egyptian newspaper expands the accusation to include “both Israel and the powers behind it...” That is, the US. According to the editorial, the israeli actions “happened without a finger being moved by the primary sponsor of the road map. Moreover, the US has offered the political and media cover needed for Israel’s crimes. The assassination attempts on Hamas’ spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and the others before him are a case in point to prove that neither Israel nor the US cares about the future of Abu Mazen or any other Palestinian who takes his place.”
London’s Saudi-backed al-Hayat newspaper carried a column by Abdulwahab Badrakhan on Monday that asserted, “Abbas... put up with all the Israeli violations of the truce and who endured the provocations, murders and invasions, was relying on the Americans to support him at some point by stopping Israel's destructive policies. However, he recently came to realize that Washington could not be expected to do such a thing.” His resignation, thus, “uncovered the American-Israeli ploy...” to force him into “overcoming the people and the President at once....”
Slightly more solicitous, but still focused on Israel as the culprit, Kuwait’s Khaleej Times carried a post-resignation commentary stating, “Israelis know full well that they have only themselves to blame for Abu Mazen's downfall.” However, unlike most other Arab media, the newspaper did not engage in hyperbole to explain the resignation: “When Israelis were facing attacks, they should have given him sufficient time to take stock of the situation instead of going after the alleged culprits on their own. Palestinian leaders, whether Arafat or Abu Mazen, could hardly be expected to resolve a 50-year-old problem overnight.”
Constructive Criticism
In contrast, Samir Ragab, writing in al-Gomhouria on September 7, chose to focus on the Arab failings that came to the fore in the Abu Mazen resignation: “Israel, the US and most Arab countries have won the bargain... Palestinians have made themselves game to the powers of evil.” The reason? “Arafat and Abu Mazen, previously comrades-at-arms, could not co-exist peacefully, although they had long retained the same goals.”
More specifically, Ahmad al-Rubii, writing for London’s Saudi-backed al-Sharq al-Awsat, decided to place much of the blame on PLO leader Yasser Arafat and on those living in his shadow. “Arafat is a long-serving Arab leader who has been controlling all aspects of the Palestinian cause and has consistently refused to share any of his powers,” the columnist wrote, “Even other leaders around him, even the ones who are opposed to his policies, are useless and remain living in an era of regression with ideas destined to failure.” Similarly, the Islamist alternatives - Hamas and Islamic Jihad - “lack a dynamic mentality and have opted for military confrontation. As a result, Palestinians feel more isolated than ever as they continue to mourn the daily deaths of their brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers,” al-Rubii wrote. Employing a particularly apt metaphor, the al-Sharq al-Awsat article concluded, “The general Palestinian public is like a passenger on board of a hijacked plane where at the end of the day, unfortunately, Israel will emerge as the only victor.”
In a similar vein, Samir Ragab wrote of the Arabs in the Palestinian Authority, “It is such a shame what they are doing to themselves, to their children and to their homeland.”