Fatah Activists Protest Party Corruption

A protestor holds a Fatah badge and a Palestinian flag next to a burning car inside the courtyard of the Parliament in Gaza City Friday Jan. 27, 2006. Thousands of members of Fatah, which badly lost Palestinian parliament elections to Hamas this week, burned cars and shot in the air in demonstrations across the Gaza Strip, demanding the resignation of corrupt officials and insisting that Fatah form no coalition with Hamas. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

This is from Yahoo News:

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Thousands of Fatah supporters burned cars and shot in the air across the Gaza Strip on Friday, demanding the resignation of corrupt party officials and insisting there be no coalition between their defeated party and the victorious Hamas.

The protest against the party that dominated Palestinian politics for the past 40 years came after President Mahmoud Abbas, who was elected last year to a four-year term, said he would ask the Islamic militant group to form the next government. Abbas later fired six Fatah officials.

Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas prepared to task Hamas with forming a government after its shock vote win as the Islamist group faced mounting pressure to renounce violence.(AFP/Pedro Ugarte)

What we have here now, is the potential for a civil war between two political parties--Hamas and Fatah. The top political leaders of Fatah became entrenched within the Palestinian Authority, and used their government powers for their own self-interests. The corruption started when the Fatah-dominated PLO was morphed into the new Palestinian Authority. There really was no opposition party to Fatah, as Yasser Arafat was first elected as President to the Palestinian Authority. Arafat brought in his own Fatah supporters to build the government. When the Palestinian Authority was first created, it was a one-party government under the rule of Arafat and his Fatah political party. Once the Palestinian people realized the state of corruption within the Palestinian Authority, they went on to choose the next best alternative political party--in this case, Hamas.

Hamas took the opposite approach in this Palestinian political game. They were the outsiders in Palestinian politics, working as both a radical Islamic terrorist group attacking Israeli targets, and working in relief, education, and charity programs within the Palestinian Authority. I would say that Hamas' work in the charity and relief programs reinforced the idea that Hamas was working to better the plight of ordinary Palestinians, over that of the widespread corruption that was taking place within the Fatah party. The Palestinian people took that belief into the voting booths.

Now Hamas is in control of the government. Its leaders have to ask the simple question--do they continue supporting their radical beliefs in destroying Israel, and risking condemnation from the world, and possibly risk losing any type of relief aid? The U.S. is already considering with holding millions in development aid from the Palestinian Authority. Or, do they consider some type of negotiations? Continuing with the Yahoo story:

A Hamas-led government could lead to a cutoff of crucial foreign aid to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority if the Islamic militants do not renounce violence and end their call for the destruction of Israel.

A sea of Palestinain Hamas supporters cheer during a celebration rally in the southern Gaza Strip refugee camp of Khan Yunes. Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas prepared to task Hamas with forming a government after its shock vote win as the Islamist group faced mounting pressure to renounce violence.(AFP/Mohammed Abed)

Palestinian supporters of Hamas celebrate their victory in parliamentary elections in the West Bank town of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

Despite international pressure, Hamas leaders said Friday they had no intention of recognizing Israel.

"It's not in our mind now to recognize it as we believe that it's a state that has usurped our land and expelled our people. These issues should be handled before we talk about recognition," deputy Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk said from Damascus,
Syria.

Hamas held a celebratory rally in the central Gaza town of Khan Younis, as supporters waved green party flags and caps and chanted slogans.

Palestinian Hamas supporters hold up their green hats as they chant slogans during a rally celebrating the group's victory in parliamentary elections, in the Khan Younis Refugee Camp, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Jan. 27, 2006. Hamas leaders have hinted that despite their hardline ideology, they will be pragmatic and not disrupt daily life in the territories they are about to rule. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

At this point, I'd say that Hamas is more happy celebrating their victory in the elections, rather than seriously considering how to run the Palestinian territories. In addition, their own leaders are also a little "hot-headed," continuing their claims that they will not recognize Israel--just as the Bush administration is hot-headed in claiming they will not recognize the Hamas-elected government. The best thing now, is to let all sides cool down, and stop the rhetoric.

But the losing party here in Fatah does not like the results. Continuing on:

Small, violent confrontations also broke out in Khan Younis. An argument between roughly 20 Hamas and Fatah loyalists degenerated into gunfire and rock-throwing that left three people injured, one with gunshot wounds. A second gunbattle wounded one police officer and one Hamas supporter, police said.

Wednesday's election exposed deep tensions within Palestinian society and was a clear rebuke to Fatah for its corruption and inability to maintain order in Palestinian towns. Before the vote, veteran Fatah leaders, those most tainted by corruption allegations, resisted repeated calls for reform by the Fatah young guard.

On Friday, thousands of Fatah activists, furious with those leaders for the electoral loss, protested throughout Gaza and the West Bank, demanding the Fatah central committee resign and insisting the party not form a partnership with Hamas. Fatah officials publicly said they would not join a coalition government.

Supporters of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement protest inside the Palestinian parliament building in Gaza January 27, 2006. International peace broking in the Middle East was plunged into turmoil on Friday by Hamas's shock Palestinian election win and a U.S. vow not to deal with the Islamic group until it renounced violence against Israel. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Demonstrators burned cars and shot in the air in front of the Palestinian parliament building in Gaza City. About 1,000 angry party activists went to Abbas' house in Gaza, and hundreds of gunmen fired rifles in the air. Abbas was in the West Bank city of Ramallah at the time.

A protestor holds a Fatah flag next to a burning car inside the courtyard of the Parliament in Gaza City Friday Jan. 27, 2006. Thousands of members of Fatah, which badly lost Palestinian parliament elections to Hamas this week, burned cars and shot in the air in demonstrations across the Gaza Strip, demanding the resignation of corrupt officials and insisting that Fatah form no coalition with Hamas. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

Palestinian Fatah members, some holding weapons and one carrying a portrait of the late Yasser Arafat, take over the Parliament building during a demonstration against the Fatah leadership in Gaza City Friday Jan. 27, 2006. Thousands of members of Fatah, which badly lost Palestinian parliament elections to Hamas this week, burned cars and shot in the air in demonstrations across the Gaza Strip, demanding the resignation of corrupt officials and insisting that Fatah form no coalition with Hamas.(AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

The protesters then marched through Gaza City toward the security headquarters, tearing down Hamas election posters and banners and burning tires in the street. A small group called on Abbas to resign.

"We are against joining any coalition with Hamas because this means a disaster for Fatah and the Palestinian people," said Samir Mashrawi, a local Fatah leader who was defeated in the election. "Instead, we want to be a strong opposition and we want to fight and end the corruption of some of Fatah's historical leaders."

About 500 Fatah protesters marched through the West Bank city of Hebron, also calling for the resignation of party leaders.

Fatah supporters chant slogans inside the Palestinian parliament during a protest in Gaza City January 27, 2006. Fatah activists burned cars in an angry protest outside the Palestinian parliament building in Gaza City on Friday after the party's shock election defeat to the Islamic militant group Hamas, witnesses said. At least two cars were set ablaze by gunmen as thousands of Fatah supporters gathered inside the compound, firing rifles in the air. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Rank-and-file Fatah supporters are angry at their top party leaders--angry at the corruption these leaders were involved in, and at resulting Fatah electoral loss as a result of this corruption. Fatah anger is also directed at Hamas, because of Hamas' extreme radical positions regarding the destruction of Israel. Fatah supporters believe that a Hamas-run government would result in a complete cutoff of economic and relief aid, causing the already weakened Palestinian economy to collapse. Interestingly enough, Fatah is taking their anger to the streets now, rather than trying to develop a cohesive political opposition strategy within the Palestinian government. Fatah needs to learn how to work as a viable opposition party against Hamas within the Palestinian government.

The best thing that the U.S. and Israel can do is to leave the Palestinians alone in working out their newly-elected democratic government. Let these two political parties learn how to deal with each other, and how to govern together. The Palestinians have to learn how to transition their government from one political party to the other. The two political parties have to learn how to work with each other, and to learn how to work with other nations on a world stage. Both political parties were born out of terrorist organizations. Both parties participated in acts of violence. And both parties are trying to transform from these terrorist organizations into entities that are necessary in the governing of the Palestinian territories. They have to learn to do this on their own.