“Where to now?” Abdulwahab Badrakhan asked in his September 8th column on the resignation of Palestinian Authority prime minister Mahmoud Abbas (nom de guerre: Abu Mazen), in London’s al-Hayat newspaper. And he answers, “Sharon and his gang are hoping that at any time now, a major suicide attack will occur, killing dozens of Israelis. This would mark the green light to pursue the plan of occupying Gaza and eliminating Arafat, and then manage the chaos resulting from the new situation, without Oslo, without the Authority, without the government and without the legislative council. In short, a return to the situation preceding the so-called peace process, which Israel used to kill the Palestinian cause and maintain the occupation.”
The al-Hayat contributor continued, “The Palestinians need to do what they never did before: form a united leadership grouping all the factions, take a clear decision to pursue the Intifada through new methods, adopt a united political discourse that would restore the trust with the international community.”
Similarly, the al-Gomhouria editorial on the Abu Mazen resignation concluded that Israel’s and America’s “main goal is to drive a wedge between Palestinian ranks and trigger a civil war between the various factions. We hereby call upon the Palestinian people to preserve their unity for the sake of their cause.”
Saying that “Mideast peacemaking is plunged into uncertainties” after the Abu Mazen resignation, the September 7th Egyptian Gazette also concluded that “Israel has made no bones about its agenda. It is obsessed with militarism, as the Israeli army's constant raids on the Palestinians amply demonstrate. Having already dismissed Arafat as irrelevant, the Israeli government may take advantage of the situation to banish Arafat.” There is, the newspaper stated, “no room for optimism about what lies ahead for the volatile Middle East.”
Kuwait’s Khaleej Times carried an article on Tuesday September 9th that declared, in the wake of Abu Mazen’s resignation, “Notwithstanding what the Sharon and Bush governments thought of Yasser Arafat, he was an important player in the roadmap plan all along. ...For all the American name-calling of Arafat, he is the president of Palestine. And we all know that he is the undisputed leader of the Palestinian people.” As for the new prime minister-select, Ahmed Qorei, the Gulf newspaper said, “The question that arises is how the new premier can do his job if Israelis don't keep their side of the bargain - that is, they go on violating the peace plan's terms, commit atrocities with impunity, assassinate resistance figures in broad daylight, and in general do not honour any of the agreements that they have signed so far.” In that regard, “The incoming prime minister... needs time and the confidence of the warring groups to tackle the challenges ahead. If Israel refuses to deal with him as a peace partner or makes life just as miserable for him [as they made for Abu Mazen], then the vicious cycle of violence will continue and the half-century-old issue of Palestinian will remain unresolved.”
The al-Hayat contributor continued, “The Palestinians need to do what they never did before: form a united leadership grouping all the factions, take a clear decision to pursue the Intifada through new methods, adopt a united political discourse that would restore the trust with the international community.”
Similarly, the al-Gomhouria editorial on the Abu Mazen resignation concluded that Israel’s and America’s “main goal is to drive a wedge between Palestinian ranks and trigger a civil war between the various factions. We hereby call upon the Palestinian people to preserve their unity for the sake of their cause.”
Saying that “Mideast peacemaking is plunged into uncertainties” after the Abu Mazen resignation, the September 7th Egyptian Gazette also concluded that “Israel has made no bones about its agenda. It is obsessed with militarism, as the Israeli army's constant raids on the Palestinians amply demonstrate. Having already dismissed Arafat as irrelevant, the Israeli government may take advantage of the situation to banish Arafat.” There is, the newspaper stated, “no room for optimism about what lies ahead for the volatile Middle East.”
Kuwait’s Khaleej Times carried an article on Tuesday September 9th that declared, in the wake of Abu Mazen’s resignation, “Notwithstanding what the Sharon and Bush governments thought of Yasser Arafat, he was an important player in the roadmap plan all along. ...For all the American name-calling of Arafat, he is the president of Palestine. And we all know that he is the undisputed leader of the Palestinian people.” As for the new prime minister-select, Ahmed Qorei, the Gulf newspaper said, “The question that arises is how the new premier can do his job if Israelis don't keep their side of the bargain - that is, they go on violating the peace plan's terms, commit atrocities with impunity, assassinate resistance figures in broad daylight, and in general do not honour any of the agreements that they have signed so far.” In that regard, “The incoming prime minister... needs time and the confidence of the warring groups to tackle the challenges ahead. If Israel refuses to deal with him as a peace partner or makes life just as miserable for him [as they made for Abu Mazen], then the vicious cycle of violence will continue and the half-century-old issue of Palestinian will remain unresolved.”