The pitfalls of Palestinian national consciousness

Fatah leaders, including some of those newly elected to the Fatah Central Committee, pray next to the tomb of the late Fatah leader and founder Yasser Arafat, 13 August 2009.

True, the conference was held on Palestinian soil, but, ironically, under the watchful eye of Israeli soldiers. The failure of the Palestinian Liberation Movement (Fatah) to achieve any of its declared goals was symbolized in its holding the conference under occupation. This reflects not only the demise of Fatah — the faction that dominated the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) for decades — but the general demise of contemporary Palestinian nationalism.

For full article, visit http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article10728.shtml

What Actually Happened in Fatah’s Elections?

In his WINEP speech Dayton acknowledged this crackdown when he said, “I don’t know how many of you are aware, but over the last year-and-a-half, the Palestinians have engaged upon a series of what they call security offensives throughout the West Bank, surprisingly well coordinated with the Israeli army.” He further admitted that during the 22-day Gaza war last winter, U.S.-trained Palestinian security forces prevented Palestinians in the West Bank from organizing mass protests against the Israeli army, which ironically allowed for the reduction of the Israeli military presence in the West Bank in order to redeploy those troops to Gaza. Dayton added, “As a matter of fact, a good portion of the Israeli army went off to Gaza from the West Bank— think about that for a minute, and the (Israeli military) commander (of the West Bank) was absent for eight straight days.”

For full article, visit http://www.counterpunch.org/amin08142009.html

US Envoy Writes of Israeli Threats

“I was the target of an assassination attempt by terrorists using automatic rifles and antitank weapons that had been made in the United States and shipped to Israel,” he wrote. “Weapons financed and given by the United States to Israel were used in an attempt to kill an American diplomat!” After the event, conspiracy theories abounded in the Middle East about who could have planned the attack, and why. Lebanon was a dangerously factionalized country.

For full article, visit http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090413/crossette

Dahlan: Fatah never recognized Israel

Dahlan, who was recently tapped to serve as an adviser to Fatah’s leader, P.A. President Mahmoud Abbas, acknowledged that the PLO — an umbrella organization of Palestinian groups that has been headed by Fatah’s leader — did recognize Israel.

“We acknowledge that the PLO did recognize Israel’s right to exist, but we are not bound by it as a resistance faction,” he said.

For full article, visit http://jta.org/news/article/2009/03/18/1003800/dahlan-fatah-never-recognized-israel

Fatah-Hamas talks suspended until end of April

Fatah and Hamas officials were trying to resolve differences ahead of polls next year

The rival Palestinian Hamas and Fatah faction have suspended unity talks in Cairo after they were unable to reach an agreement, sources say.

The Egyptian-mediated process will resume in three weeks, Nabil Shaath, a senior Fatah official, said on Thursday.

For full article, visit http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/04/200942145427594526.html

The Hamas movement on Thursday accused Fatah of sabotaging talks in Cairo aimed at restoring unity to the Palestinian government.

Meanwhile, senior Fatah official Nabil Shaath told Ma’an that there are “creative propositions that were presented and each movement needs to consult with its leadership on these proposals.”

He added that the talks were suspended until the end of April, adding that “we can’t say that this round of talks failed or succeeded,” but insisted that “the atmosphere at the talks was good.”

For full article, visit http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36844

Poll: Palestinians lack confidence in leadership, yearn for unity

Only a third of Palestinians still support a two-state resolution to their struggle, and only a slim majority want an end to projectile attacks from the Gaza Strip. Nine out of ten have no confidence that the current ceasefire in Gaza will hold.

Showing a desire for reconciliation, an overwhelming 72% support Fatah and Hamas holding joint negotiations with Israel. Fully 76% want Hamas to be included in the PLO, and more than 90% want Hamas and Fatah to form a national consensus government.

For full article, visit http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36811

Amira Hass: Rule now, liberate later

If they really aspired to liberation, the two Palestinian leaderships would break a few rules in the Oslo game. They would give up the process of Western-style elections, which is essentially divisive. They would find other means of expressing differences and consensus, and also of encouraging public discourse concerning all the methods of liberation that have failed so far.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1074827.html

Hamas rules out abiding by past PLO commitments

According to Senior Hamas leader Salah Al-Bardaweel, accepting the agreements, such as the Oslo Accords or other signing documents, would be impossible, although he said the movement made a number of other concessions.

Salah Al-Bardaweel

For full article, visit http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=36740

The Hamas leader further said that the PLO does not represent all Palestinian factions, and added that the organization should be reformed in order to represent all factions.

For full article, visit http://www.imemc.org/article/59646

Medhat received death threats – Fatah leader

“Slain senior Palestinian official Kamal Medhat had reportedly received several death threats and had recently sent a letter to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas detailing the threats, a top Fatah commander said on Tuesday. “We will not issue haphazard accusations and we leave it to the Lebanese judiciary and security forces to uncover the truth,” Brigadier Munir al-Maqdah told reporters following a large-scale meeting of Palestinian factions inside Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in Sidon.”

Kamal Medhat

Source: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=100346

Fatah official killed in Lebanon

“The deputy representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) in Lebanon has been killed in a bombing, security officials say.

Kamal Medhat of the Fatah faction died in a blast by Mieh Mieh refugee camp, near Lebanon’s city of Sidon, they say.”

Mr Medhat recently attended a memorial for dead Hezbollah fighters

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7959290.stm

“Kamal Medhat, 58, known in Lebanon’s Palestinian Camps affectionately as ‘Kamal Naji’, a senior member of the Palestinian Fatah movement was killed exiting Mieh Meih Camp by a 25-30 kilogram bomb. The bomb was hidden in a small roadside shed between two checkpoints, one manned by the Lebanese army and the other at the Kifah el Musallah Camp security check point. According to Fatah intelligence sources, a man on a tall building near the Camp entrance watched Medhat’s car approach and detonated it as he passed at almost exactly 2 pm. “

'The bomb was hidden in a small roadside shed between two checkpoints.'

“There is common agreement in Lebanon’s Palestinian community Tuesday morning that the motive for the assassination attempt was to torpedo the growing intra-Palestinian unity moves in Lebanon and in order undermine Lebanon’s recent stability. Zaki and his colleagues have been working hard for Fatah-Hamas unity in Lebanon.

Fatah’s Zaki blamed Israel for the killing and warned it would have serious repercussions in Lebanon and the Palestinian camps. “Those behind the killing are working in one way or another for Israel,” he told the press.”

Source: http://www.palestinechronicle.com/

“A Fatah spokesman in the occupied West Bank said that Kamal Naji – also known as Kamal Medhat – had been ‘assassinated’. “

Source:  http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/03/2009323123147929427.html