The Guardians of the Homeland Feud

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

The disputes among the “guardians of the homeland” — the Palestinian officials — have surfaced forcefully, but this time in confrontation with Mr. Arafat himself, who has become a rival after having been careful throughout his life to remain the arbiter. His rivals are the very men he created over the years to be a chorus that takes orders and does not actually take part in decision-making. Perhaps the President recalls perfectly well how, in 1980, he insisted that Abu Mazen become a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, even though his supporters did not number more than the fingers of one hand.

We who look at the Authority from the outside know well the tense relations prevailing among the members of what is called the Palestinian leadership. They are not tense about the future of the homeland, but about the spoils they have plundered from the Palestinian people. One accuses another of being a thief, and another says the first is close to the Israelis. A third speaks of romantic escapades, and a fourth levels charges of swindling and exploiting the Palestinian people. One of them once cracked a joke about those who differed with him, saying: “We all agree that Israel practices collective repression against the Palestinian people, while we practice collective fraud.”

These guardians of the homeland signed the Oslo Accord in the name of the supreme Palestinian national interest, and did the same at Taba and in other agreements. Even the corruption was said to be for the sake of the supreme Palestinian national interest, since it trains the people in methods of dodging, maneuvering, and deception — methods that have become necessary, they say, under this world so full of vice and evil. Their disputes now are over the premiership, and I have heard a number of them justify it in the name of the national interest. And in keeping with deeply rooted Palestinian tradition, it is not deemed necessary for those with an actual stake in the matter to have any say in what is happening — it is enough for them to hear the news.

There were no disputes over principles or values; the disputes remained confined to the personal sphere. The Palestinian never sensed that the pillars of the leadership were at odds over the implementation of the Road Map, or over cracking down on Palestinian fighters from the various factions, Fatah included. Nor did we hear that they disagreed over corruption, or over building social and political relations that respect the human being and strive toward development and progress. The Palestinian has heard a great deal of talk about what goes on behind closed doors, most of it centered on the relationship of the disputants with the Israelis and the Americans, and on who is more loyal, as well as on who is to hold the reins of power — but none of it concerned the friendship any of them bore toward the Palestinian people, or their concern for the people’s interests.

The victors will emerge before the Palestinian people to say that they will work with strong resolve for God and the homeland. The truth is that these men ought to be held to account for the preceding era, which was marked by horrifying corruption. They are part of the leadership that practiced corruption, and they ought to be subjected to accountability, not to become masters over us. They may not all be guilty, but accountability is the best way to uncover the truth. The Prime Minister will turn to the Legislative Council to obtain legitimacy. In Palestine today there exists no legitimate body whatsoever, whether at the level of the institutions of the Palestinian Authority or of the Liberation Organization. What is required first is to move toward reconstituting the various councils on foundations that justify legitimacy. Right now no one has legitimacy, and it is the logic of the fait accompli that prevails.

The Palestinian national interest requires that matters be set right, and it is the Palestinian people who must determine what “right” means — not hostile outside powers. We need to establish a reckoning, so that each person pays the price for his mistakes or his crimes, and we also need to reformulate the Palestine Liberation Organization and the institutions of the Authority in a manner consistent with the demands of the Palestinian people, not the demands of Israel and America.

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “حماة الوطن يتنازعون” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.