Let the Fatah Members Participate

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

I see no wisdom in the government in Gaza preventing Fatah members from taking part in the movement’s conference in Bethlehem, despite the importance of searching for ways to secure the release of those detained by the Palestinian Authority. There are hundreds of detainees, and they suffer horrific forms of torture, oppression, and humiliation, and pressure must continue for their release — but I do not see the wisdom in Gaza’s decision to ban Fatah members from traveling.

The question that arises is: does Hamas want to win the goodwill of the Palestinian people, or does it want to provoke Fatah? The Palestinian people reject political detention, and our people understand perfectly well that the Palestinian Authority arrests Hamas members precisely so that they will not resist the Israeli occupation. It is true that the Authority fears a repeat of the Gaza scenario, but the principal reason behind the arrests is the defense of Israeli security, and, by extension, of the end-of-month salary. This is what most people understand, and this is what breeds severe distress and resentment. And they likewise reject political detention in Gaza — a matter to which Hamas has not given the national weight it deserves, whether in media terms or in terms of sensitivity to people’s feelings.

…for the people, and rule endures through justice, not by meeting wrongdoing with wrongdoing in kind. Leaders and statesmen refrain entirely from vengeance and from spiteful politics, and in doing so they grow greater before their peoples and before history. The true leader is the one who disdains pettiness and holds fast to higher values and principles, keeping his gaze fixed ahead so as not to lose his way.

The Fatah conference is convening with the permission of the Israeli occupation, and there are those coming to the West Bank with the occupation’s permission — and this alone is enough for the people to judge each of them as to where things stand, nationally speaking. The people see, read, absorb, and draw their conclusions, and perhaps they suffer, partly, in this historical period, from a lack of courage — but history must eventually take its course, and things will be set right. So why does Hamas insert itself into this matter? By barring Fatah members from traveling, it shifts the debate away from an occupation that grants permission, and onto a Hamas that forbids.

Finally, let me offer a piece of political advice: leave the mistake to others.

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “اتركوا الفتحاويين يشاركون” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.