Infighting Clouds Upcoming Palestinian Leadership Gathering

[Mosby]

Hatem Abu Riziq used to prowl the narrow alleyways of the West Bank's largest refugee camp battling the Israeli army. But these days he is turning his gun's barrel toward the Palestinian leadership.

With the long-ruling Palestinian Fatah faction torn by rivalries, fierce shootouts between Palestinian security forces and Fatah-aligned gunmen have erupted in recent months, plunging the Balata camp into unrest and lawlessness.

The violence, much of it directed at a Fatah leadership seen as corrupt and out of touch, comes as the movement prepares to hold an overdue leadership conference at the end of the month and reflects a combustible power struggle between the faction's aging leader, President Mahmoud Abbas, and exiled rival Mohammed Dahlan, a former top aide who has the backing of some gunmen and disaffected Fatah activists.

"I no longer want to fight Israel. I'm not willing to die for these officials who are only taking care of their families and letting us suffer," said Abu Riziq, 30, who spent nearly seven years in an Israeli prison for assisting in a suicide bombing.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/infighting-clouds-upcoming-palestinian-leadership-gathering-43668219

[Mosby]

1. Muhammad Dahlan: I Don't See Myself As A Presidential Candidate...

http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/9570.htm

Pretty interesting interview.

Abu Mazen needs to know that his 'Erdoganic' moves won't help or last in Fatah, and that he must once again learn from the experience of Abu 'Ammar [Arafat] in order to recognize [the limits] of what is possible and impossible. I do not want to be premature [and state how I will act] if and when Abu Mazen holds his conference in its special format – I will cross that bridge when I get to it. We are preparing and tracking and we will not act rashly before understanding the developing trends. He who declares war on Fatah is a fool, and we are no fools since we are Fatah."

That said, what worries me most in the West Bank is the decline in the people's involvement in political issues, which does not reflect a loss of public interest in the national cause but rather a loss of trust between the public and the political leadership... As long as the current situation persists, there are [only] two possible [outcomes]: either we capitulate to the terms and principles of the occupation, which is unfeasible on the popular level, or a popular outburst will occur, which will have dangerous consequences. The only certainty is that the current situation cannot continue.

The current [resistance] action [in Jerusalem] has not ripened into an intifada not because it is flawed, but because the large Palestinian forces do not want to back it and reinforce it. Hence, the action in Jerusalem finds no way to reinforce itself except through heroic operations by individuals. But these heroic actions will not remain unsponsored and unorganized forever... After all the attempts to suppress this activity have failed despite the growing number of martyrs, I believe that this action may shift to a different paradigm and find a different popular and political depth for itself."

Not exactly Mr. Moderate anymore.

[Mosby]

2. Dahlan on Gaza

About the future of the Gaza strip, Dahlan said: "The [Gaza] Strip is a nuclear bomb that is about to blow up in everyone's face, and we are all responsible – to some degree – for the situation of our brothers there. Nobody has the right to expect limitless patience from those who suffer pain, hunger, deprivation and unemployment on a daily basis, as well as the absence of crucial services. Unless immediate change occurs, the future will be even bleaker and more painful for everyone, especially for those who hold the Palestinian purse-strings in the West bank [i.e., the PA], and those who hold the reins of power in Gaza [i.e., Hamas]. All this does not exempt the occupation and its ongoing wars from responsibility for the [even] bleaker situation that will develop.

As a son of the Gaza Strip I know my Gazan brothers very well, and I can tell you that the fuse of the economic and social explosion has been burning for a while, and the spark must be kept from reaching the powder kegs. The total siege on and within Gaza must be lifted, or [at least] eased. [In this context] I see a glimmer of real hope [coming from] Egypt, but this glimmer is certainly not enough... Gaza needs air like an intensive care patient needs oxygen. It needs food, water, medicines and medical care... Gaza needs mouth to mouth resuscitation."

The Refugee Camps:

"Any Palestinian who takes up arms in our people's refugee camps in Lebanon is a fighter sacrificing his life in the front-line battles against the forces of terrorism and injustice. Should we allow the camps to be targeted by the attacks of criminal murderers and allow [these murderers] to raise their blood-soaked banners over our camps, as happened in camps in Syria or in Sabra and Shatila? Al-Lino[6] and his heroic comrades are a bastion of steadfastness and the shield that protects the security and honor of our people in the refugee camps. These are commanders and fighters who have dedicated their lives to defending the honor of our women from [falling victim to] the depravity and the slave markets of ISIS and others, as happened in Syria and Iraq... Had the leaderships of the PLO and Fatah met their national and moral obligations [vis-a-vis the camps], there would have been no need for our efforts."