In his first report card, Abbas gets praise and a little gold star
January 29, 2005
While following the situation in Iraq, let us not forget about Palestine, where something is always happening – usually to the detriment of the Palestinian people.
The first Israeli appraisal of the Palestinian president’s performance has come in (no, not the verdict of the Palestinian people, but that of their occupier); Mahmoud Abbas still hasn’t passed with flying colors, and he can certainly do better if he applies himself, but he’s on the right track. Considering he’s only been in power for two weeks but that he’s already passed a number of Israeli tests, the praise from Sharon should be equivalent to at least a B-.
Sharon’s exact words on the progress of Abbas are as follows: “I am very satisfied with what I hear is happening on the Palestinian side, and I have a serious interest in advancing the process with him.”
Of course he should be satisfied! Abbas has already deployed 3,000 Palestinian troops around Gaza to ensure no attacks could possibly be carried out against the Israeli occupying army, and has banned Palestinian civilians from carrying weapons (lest it might occur to them to defend themselves). Furthermore, in a move eerily reminiscent of the Israeli army, Abbas has even sent his bulldozers to demolish cafés, shops and kiosks in Gaza.
With friends like Abbas, do Palestinians need enemies? No wonder Sharon now says that “conditions are ripe for a historic breakthrough.” In other words, this means that by stopping attacks on Israel (for the time being), Abbas has created the ideal situation for Sharon to withdraw as painlessly as possible from Gaza – which is the only withdrawal (a partial one at that) he was planning to make in the first place, and turn his attention on the permanent settlement of the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Abbas should be careful not to forget about the people whose approval really counts now, especially in Gaza. They have also spoken, and their verdict is clear: in the local elections held this week, with a voter participation of over 80%, Hamas has achieved a stunning victory, winning nearly three times as many seats as Fatah. That’s democracy for you (be careful what you ask for, Bush). Let’s wait for their report card now; and it's a safe bet to say they'll want a bit more than empty praise from Israel.
