Gleanings from Arabic Press

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‎is facing trying times at all levels. Most ‎difficult crisis is that he is confronted ‎with three charges of corruption which may ‎lead to his indictment, lose power, get the ‎stigma of being a corrupt PM and ‎ending up in jail. ‎

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Arabs to Rescue Netanyahu

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‎is facing trying times at all levels. Most ‎difficult crisis is that he is confronted ‎with three charges of corruption which may ‎lead to his indictment, lose power, get the ‎stigma of being a corrupt PM and ‎ending up in jail. ‎

It is believed that he can escape all ‎these charges by changing officials in ‎keys judicial positions and amending laws. ‎For this purpose, he is required to obtain ‎an absolute right-wing majority, which is ‎not difficult for him. Arabs can give him ‎more popularity so that he can achieve ‎this objective. If he could not get this ‎at sufficient level, he also may resort to ‎war. Netanyahu desperately needs to be a ‎leader who has achieved new victory over ‎Arabs, either by war or peace. ‎

Netanyahu is responsible for war crimes, ‎and killing of thousands in Gaza Strip, ‎West Bank, Syria and even in Iraq. But he ‎is being tried only for financial ‎corruptions. This is the true face of the ‎so-called Israeli democracy, which ‎fascinates the West and even some Arabs. ‎In recent weeks we have noticed a ‎remarkable increase in the admiration of ‎some Arabs with everything that is ‎Israeli. According to an early survey and ‎assumptions, this may result in him ‎forming a pure and earnest right-wing ‎government. This needs more Arab support. ‎Would Arabs rescue Netanyahu.‎

‎[Jamal Zahalka in Al Quds Al Araby]‎

 

 

Reviving PLO

The Palestinian Authority, despite its ‎political mistakes, economic fragility, ‎and limited representative position, ‎dominated the Palestine Liberation ‎Organisation (PLO) and treated it as the ‎sole representative of the entire ‎Palestinian people and the leader of the ‎Palestinian national movement for ‎liberation.‎

With this, the importance of the PLO and ‎its position in the movement began to ‎diminish. This also led to Palestinians ‎living in refugee camps and the diaspora ‎being further marginalised.‎

The process of restructuring the PLO ‎requires inclusion of Hamas and Islamic ‎Jihad. Without them, the organisation ‎denies itself a representative character. ‎This results in the erosion of its ‎legitimacy.‎

The restoration of the PLO requires a new ‎generation of Palestinian leaders. But ‎there are many structural obstacles in the ‎political arena of Palestine which prevent ‎rise of Palestinian young leaders who are ‎committed to defending the Palestinian ‎struggle for freedom and justice. ‎Palestinian technocrats are alienated from ‎the ground reality of the Palestinians ‎living under occupation. There are ‎efforts being made to protect the ‎interests of the ruling elite. There is ‎also violent suppression of voices and ‎movements which could challenge the status ‎quo.  All this weakens young Palestinian ‎leaders. There are instances in the ‎Palestinian history particularly that of ‎the beginning of the PLO itself, that ‎Palestinians provide space for the young ‎leaders to rise and rebuild community ‎leadership networks at the grassroots.‎… It ‎is massive task for a future Palestinian ‎leadership would be to bring the ‎politically, geographically divided ‎people together, organise them and lead ‎them. ‎

‎[By Marwa Fatafta, Alaa Tartir in Al Araby ‎Al Jadeed]

 Compiled and Translated by Faizul Haque