Where Have All the Palestinian Moderates Gone?

... WINEP's Schenker wonders... here

"...I hadn't thought about that Amman meeting in years, until last week, when I read an interview with Natsheh in the pan-Arab daily al-Quds al-Arabi, where he said that Fatah, the faction of the PLO that led the campaign to forge peace with Israel through direct negotiations, "does not recognize Israel's right to exist." He added that Fatah had likewise never abandoned the armed struggle. What's more troubling, Natsheh's authoritative interview is the latest in a series of previously deniable comments by current and former senior Fatah officials -- including one-time Gaza security chief Mohammed Dahlan -- that undercut the fundamental premise of Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking: the renunciation of violence and the acceptance of Israel's right to exist.

What seems clear to me now, as Fatah gathers in Bethlehem this week for its first general assembly in more than a decade, is that the recent statements of Natsheh and his fellow "moderates" signal a broader sea change in Palestinian politics that has occurred over the past decade. Democratic politics are indeed taking shape among Palestinians, but they're mirroring the increasingly extreme views of the population at large. (Schenker wonders, still) In short, the desire for popular support has not moderated Hamas, but has radicalized Fatah.

Breeding ground of 'moderation'

No doubt, years of stagnation in the negotiations -- attributable at least in part to Fatah-orchestrated violence -- (Nothing from Schenker on OCCUPATION. It is WINEP policy to never ever use the term!)) have proved frustrating and radicalizing for many Palestinians. Yet the recent statements from senior Fatah leaders also smack of political expedience. ....

Regardless of why Fatah is openly tacking to the right now, the statements have profound implications for Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking. .......George Mitchell is even pressing for Syrian assistance in forging a Palestinian national unity government. Given Fatah's latest pronouncements, however, one wonders how this development would help move the talks along. Today, Fatah and Hamas are fighting for power in the Palestinian Authority (PA), but philosophically speaking, their positions on Israel appear closer than ever. (aha: therefore, Schenker would say: "Since the 'talks' are leading nowhere, ... let's 'ethnic cleanse'")...

.......in the absence of any denial coming from Abbas, the comments of Natsheh -- a close associate of Abbas -- stand as Fatah's official position. Today, Fatah may be better than Hamas, but the organization is clearly no panacea. Based on Fatah's disposition toward Israel, it is all but assured that a Palestinian national unity government will not advance negotiations..."