Egypt's current account gap narrows, but overall BoP records deficit    Egypt's PM reviews debt reduction strategy, eyes more private investment    Egypt hosts international neurosurgery conference to drive medical innovation    Egypt, India discuss expanding industrial, investment partnerships    World Bank proposes Egypt join new global health initiative    Egypt's EDA discusses Johnson & Johnson's plans to expand investment in local pharmaceutical sector    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Sisi sends letter to Nigerian president affirming strategic ties    Egypt welcomes 25-nation statement urging end to Gaza war    Egypt, Senegal sign pharma MoU to unify regulatory standards    Egyptian pound ticks down in early Tuesday trading    Famine kills more Gaza children as Israel tightens siege amid global outrage    Kuwait's Crown Prince, Egyptian minister discuss strengthening cooperation    Egyptian Drug Authority discusses plans for joint pharmaceutical plant in Zambia    Egypt's FM seeks deeper economic, security ties on five-nation West Africa tour    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt foils terrorist plot, kills two militants linked to Hasm group    Egypt, Somalia discuss closer environmental cooperation    Egypt exports 175K tons of food in one week    Giza Pyramids' interior lighting updated with new LED system    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt, Uruguay eager to expand trade across key sectors    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



It's time to talk to Fateh
Published in Daily News Egypt on 30 - 08 - 2009

JERUSALEM: During the much-reported tour of four Knesset members to the illegal outposts earlier this week, one small sentence uttered by Interior Minister Eli Yishai in passing attracted my attention. Why bother, he said - after all, after the Fateh congress, it is obvious now that we have no one to speak to.
Thus, he joined a long list of Israeli politicians, among them Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who hurried to characterize the Sixth Fateh Conference as a saboteur of peace.
For the first time in 20 years, the Palestinian mainstream politicians managed to pull their act together. Some 2,255 delegates attended - old-timers and the new guard, local politicians and activists, and the representatives of the Diaspora including those from Lebanese refugee camps, contending factions that had been fighting each other - they all sat earnestly in long and serious debates, under sometimes difficult and charged sessions.
By an overwhelming majority they elected Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) not just as the Fateh chairman, but as the crowned leader of the Palestinian people. This underpins not only Abbas s authority as the voice of all Palestinians, it strengthens his leadership position and gives him the power and the legitimacy to negotiate with Israel and eventually reach an agreement with us. To further anchor his authority, Abbas now intends to convene the Palestine National Council.
Another interesting outcome of the congress is the newly-elected leadership which offers hope. The old guard lost its majority; the young guard gathered strength.
A majority of the council s new members were involved in the Oslo process and support an honorable peace agreement with Israel. Three among them have headed Palestinian security forces in the past.
It came as no surprise that Hamas imposed restrictions on Gaza-based Fateh members who wished to join their peers in Bethlehem; they finally participated by telephone. This serves as evidence that the Hamas struggle this time was not directed at Israel, but at the Palestinian leadership.
In fact, recent polling indicates that Hamas popularity is declining, perhaps as a result of its failed war with Israel, but no doubt also as a consequence of improving living conditions in the West Bank. The dismantling of some 40 checkpoints has eased some of the pressure, and the economy seems to move upward, with a one percent stated growth.
Ultimately, the congress, with its wide participation from abroad, gave Fateh the possibility to display strength vis-à-vis all other political groups and to become the political umbrella for those who do not wish to subscribe to Hamas extremist policies.
Not all statements emanating from Bethlehem have been music to Israel s ears.
Moreover, the deeply-seated mistrust, the habit of reading first and foremost the bad elements in any Palestinian document, makes it easy to misinterpret some of the resolutions negatively. Thus, for days our media reported that the Palestinians were not ready to give up on violence and that the resolutions called for the continuation of armed struggle as a strategy. The truth is that the Bethlehem platform calls for resistance by all legitimate means , and leaves out the option of armed struggle.
When reading a political document, as some of us have been taught, it is important to read every word in its context, but also to consider what has been left out.
Abbas himself made his position very clear: We must not stain our legitimate struggle with terror, he said.
On Jerusalem, too, our media hurried to report that Abbas had demanded sovereignty over all of Jerusalem. Yet reading the text in Arabic, one discovers that the expression used by Abu Mazen refers to east Jerusalem, commonly referred to as the Arab side . To make this even clearer, the call on Israel to return to the 1967 borders is an implicit recognition of Israel s sovereignty over west Jerusalem.
The congress also endorsed the 2002 Arab initiative.
Interestingly, but not known to every one, the initiative does not call for a right of return of the refugees. Here too, my humble advice to all the sceptics is to read the text as formulated. It clearly states that there should be a principled and agreed upon solution for the refugee problem.
Finding the dark side of things provides good pretexts to those who refuse progress.
The time has come for the Netanyahu government to renew the dialogue with the Palestinian Authority, led by the only pragmatic Palestinian movement, Fateh.
A stronger Palestinian leadership, with a broader basis of popular support and a flexible platform, now opens better opportunities for serious negotiations.
Colette Avitalis a former member of the Israeli Knesset. She served as ambassador to Portugal and as Consul General in New York City. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) with permission from The Jerusalem Post.


Clic here to read the story from its source.