Fateh, Hamas updates
I've been Quakering for the past few days. No time to update the blog. Now, I'm updating myself with what went on in the Fateh conference and the world in my absence.
The Fateh conference has been prolonged until at least tomorrow. Ma'an has published a list of the candidates for the 23-person (only 18 elected) Central Committee-- here.
Today, PA head Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) was elected head of Fateh by an overwhelming majority. No surprise there, since he and his cronies got to carefully craft the list of participants in the general conference. In fact, I'm amazed that 65 of the 2,200 delegates were recorded as voting against him.... Except that, as I read somewhere recently, modern-day despots are so much smarter than their Soviet-era predecessors and have understood that recording a '99.9%' vote for the Great leader is no longer credible-- so they modern ones are crafting it at around 68-70%.
Abbas's came to around 97%. Close to Soviet-style, I'd say.
Oh, and Maan also tells us this:
- Shortly before the vote took place, Abbas' supporters broke out into a prepared poem praising him and his leadership.
- "to hold important consultations with the Egyptian security officials over the fate of the coming round of Palestinian national dialogue that will be held soon in Cairo.
Upon their arrival Az-Zahhar and the accompanied delegates were received by senior officials of the Egyptian security departments. Palestinian sources said that Hamas delegates may carry out a tour after concluding consultations with the Egyptians.
Hanniyeh's soccer appearance is interesting for two reasons:
- 1. It is part of a much broader attempt by the Hamas leaders to develop, and place a public emphasis on, the movement's many non-military activities. In recent weeks we had Zahhar co-producing Hamas's first known effort in the world of movie production; Hamas branches in Gaza have organized a number of mass weddings (latest one reported here); and Hamas's people gave support to the project of getting 6,000 Gaza children to fly kites to try to get into the Guinness Book of Records.
2. The security implications of Hanniyeh feeling secure enough to go out and play soccer are interesting. Does this mean that the Israeli government's long-pursued attempt to hunt him down and assassinate him whenever he shows his face in public has now been suspended? (How long did he play for?) If Israel's quite illegal threat to engage in the extra-judicial execution of a democratically elected civilian political leader has been lifted, that is evidently good news.
Neat! Abu Fateh got a higher vote percentage than Ahmadinejad. Something left for the Iranian Mullahs to learn... But then again the Iranians are a wise people with much to teach to the US.
For example if the Iranians teach us how they got hundreds of confessions from the green protesters and embassy personnel in just a few weeks Obama could be done with Guantanamo and close it by January. Maybe hire Iranian interrogators for Guantanamo?
Pakistan safer if Mehsud killed: White House
The White House on Friday said that Pakistan will be safer if Taliban commander, Baitullah Mehsud is killed.
The White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, however, said that “there seems to be a growing consensus among credible observers that he is indeed dead.”... “If he is dead, without a doubt, the people of Pakistan will be safer as a result.”
President Barack Obama is being regularly updated on the situation in Islamabad, officials said Mehsud was probably dead but they were awaiting 100 per cent confirmation to verify reports of his death.
At the State Department, spokesman Robert Wood also said the United States and its allies are engaged in a “long‑term struggle against violent extremism.”
Sounds like the Israelis are even writing the lines for State these days. Assassination is so securely embedded in "ordinary" US foreign policy that no one even raises an eyebrow anymore.
Orgy of the Dead
The Fatah anthem played. In a matter of seconds, the delegates became absorbed in a spectacle of chanting and clapping when Abbas, whose presidential term expired in January, appeared on stage. As Abbas waited for his turn to read from what seemed like an inevitable 60-page speech, a man walked around the aisles handing out cheaply-made, Fatah-branded kuffiyehs to delegates and journalists. He insisted everybody wear it for the cameras.
The spectacle proceeded with an affectedly dramatic speech by former prime minister Ahmed Qureia, who partially owns al-Quds Cement, a company that has allegedly sold cement to Israel for the construction of Israel's wall in the West Bank. Qureia called for remembrance of the deceased Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and a moment of silence for the Fatah martyrs of Palestine.
Already, Abbas has been voted -- with no challenge -- as Fatah’s leader for the next five years (only 65 of the 2,200 delegates voted against him), and it is has been reported that the US-backed Mohammed Dahlan and Ahmed Qureai are leading the nominee list for leadership posts – both involved in allegations of corruption.
As one Fatah official said, "There are two planes in this movement: one plane of Dahlanists [Mohammed Dahlan and his cohorts] -- those who spout peace and pragmatism, and another plane of resistance -- those who want to keep armed struggle alive. But there is so much corruption that is occurring from those who hold high positions that I don't think we can come together ... it's between them and us."
Despite Palestine's statelessness, Abbas mentioned how he has been improving security for the state. Upon hearing this, Mohamed Edwan (Head Press Officer to the PA who happened to sit beside me) shook his head and said, "This is a police state, not a state of security."
[W]hen Abbas' very own communicator dismisses what he says as a falsehood, how can we expect Fatah's central committee, political agenda and electoral decision-making bodies to act in unison with party members, much less the political leaders of other factions, or even Israel?