Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Just Who Is Lost?

In the new June 9 issue of The New York Review of Books, Hussein Agha and Robert Malley published an article, "The Lost Palestinians", and wrote that Palestinians will vote in elections for their new legislature this coming summer "barring an unforseen development".

As it is, already on May 24, reports were published that due to a dispute on the election law itself, there may be a delay in that vote.

It seems that the rising tensions between Fatah and Hamas, including violent battles in Gaza over the results of local elections and recent court cases that found voting irregularities, is one problem. Another is the desire of Mahmoud Abbas that all 132 seats in a new legislature to be filled on a system of party lists, which would reduce the influence of powerful local families and clans known as hamullahs.

Agha and Malley should have forseen this development as it is so intrinsic to Palestinian political behavior and tradition for the past 80 years, just like their terror option has been a constant feature of their policies.

Analysists should not be apologists.

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