Channels

Photo: Amir Cohen
Photo: Tzvika Tischler
Harari. 'Not much Abbas can do'
Photo: Tzvika Tischler
Photo: AFP
President Mahmoud Abbas. 'Can obtain things through force of speech'
Photo: AFP

What can Abbas do?

Declarations by Palestinian President that he 'ordered searches in southern Gaza' for kidnapped soldier caused embarrassment, mockery among Palestinians and Israeli analysts

Palestinians who know a thing or two on the Palestinian Authority and analysts in Israel didn't know whether to laugh or cry when they read on Monday the statement by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who "ordered the security forces to carry out searches in southern Gaza after the kidnapped soldier."

 

Gaza kidnapping - special coverage

 

Shalom Harari, former adviser on the Palestinian territories at the Ministry of Defense, says that "if in the West Bank, Abbas' influence reaches 100 meters around his office, then in Gaza, his ability is close to zero."

 

Harari, who today is a researcher at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, also believes that "there is no doubt that Hamas members and even Muhammad Dahlan's people have more ability of obtaining information on the kidnapped soldier than Abbas."

 

"Despite that, he can certainly be a pipe to transfer information from Dahlan's forces, for example," Harari adds.

 

Harari thinks that Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Interior Minister Said Siam are "running to search for the soldier because from their perspective, the alternative is to stay in the bunker for the foreseeable future."

 

The picture of chaos in the Palestinian Authority and the Gaza Strip has become sharper against the background of the kidnapping. At this time, it is clearer than ever that the PA is built on two walls – the institution of the presidency of Mahmoud Abbas, mostly ruled by Fatah, and the government, mostly ruled by Hamas. Both of these parts have different interests in this formula.

 

Seperation?

 

Hamas is attempting to create a separation between "the government of Hamas" and "the Hamas movement," even if the same precise people are involved in both.

 

With that, it is highly likely that the decision to carry out the attack came from outside Hamas, without the knowledge of Haniyeh.

 

Abbas, whose level of control in the PA is unclear, invited Hamas Interior Minister Said Siam, and ordered him to search for the kidnapped soldier throughout Gaza. Can he really be trusted? "Israel knows that Abbas' abilities are limited, but it addresses him directly in its statements because in terms of international legitimacy he is responsible and he is the address," explains Harari.

 

If this is the case, why is Israel hopeful? "The question is whether we are interested only in the crisis or what will be tomorrow morning, and Abbas has already proved he can obtain things through the force speech. It's too early to eulogize him, but in any case, we must work with him, even if we know he is not influential, so that we don't burn our bridges with him," Harari says.

 


פרסום ראשון: 06.27.06, 09:18
 new comment
Warning:
This will delete your current comment