Who after Mahmoud Abbas?
Those who make decisions about Palestine have always been preoccupied searching for an answer to the question: ‘Who after Mahmoud Abbas?’ This question is being asked because the structure of Palestinian institutions is lacklustre.
The recent political developments have brought this discussion back to the table, given the administrative and political appointments which have been made in the National Council or the Central Council of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), as well as the administrative and security moves made in the institutions of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank.
This clearly indicates that the harbingers of the post-Abbas phase actually began with the establishment of the influence of a specific group within the PA, represented by Minister Hussein Al-Sheikh, a member of the Central Committee of the Fatah movement, and the head of the General Intelligence Service, Majed Faraj. The Fatah movement chose Al-Sheikh as a member to represent it in the Executive Committee of the PLO, and in the event of assuming the position of Secretary of the Executive Committee, he would be the deputy chief of the organisation.
The solution lies in early agreement on returning to the path of comprehensive elections so that the Palestinians democratically choose their representatives. It is also required to work on a structural reform of the PLO to include all the active forces in Palestine. There is also a need for consensus on a national strategy based on expanding the scope of the confrontation with Israel.
[by Mohammad Alakhras in TRT Arabi]
Condemning Apartheid Not Enough
The Amnesty International report, which condemned Israel for the practices of the apartheid regime in Palestine, is an achievement in favour of the rights of the Palestinian people. It is a success which cannot be underestimated. Rather, it must be built upon. However, the battle of the Palestinian people is not limited to their fight against Israeli apartheid. Instead, it remains a liberation struggle against a colonial project targeting their identity, and existence.
Since the beginning of the Zionism, it has not been possible to launch the Zionist project without basing it on racism, not only as a value, but as a systematic practice. This project, most importantly, required the displacement and uprooting of the indigenous people of historical Palestine, the appropriation of their land, history and heritage, and the destruction of their memories. This cannot be achieved by military force alone, but by establishing systems, laws and a complete method of racial segregation and apartheid to build a culture of a colonial society, and to justify massacres and genocides of identity and population.
But the road is long. The issue is not and will not be limited to exposing and condemning the apartheid regime. International human rights organisations have made major strides in their position on Israel. But they would not move further. It is true that we saw a leap which was unimaginable years ago. But the struggle of the Palestinian people is a struggle for national liberation.
[by Lamees Andouni in Al Araby Al Jadeed]
Compiled and Translated by Faizul Haque