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Middle-East Peace
Process Gets a New
Lease of Life
- Siddhartha Singh Thakur

The recent elections to the Palestinian Authority (PA) held on the 9th of
January 2005 resulted in a resounding victory for Mahmoud Abbas, the leader
of the Fatah organisation. Analysts opine that these polls have conclusively
settled the uncertainty over Yasser Arafats successor in Palestine and may
also push forward the stalled peace initiatives between Israel and Palestine.

Jerusalem and establish a

Palestinian state. But the path to
peace in this volatile region is
fraught with hindrances and
obstacles. Abbas has to do a fine
balancing act if he wants concrete
results.
On the one hand he has to
convince Israel that he is capable
of ending the four-year long
violent Palestinian uprising or
Intifada in the occupied territories

Mahmoud Abbas

he fact that Abbas

managed to win 62% of
the votes has added
legitimacy
to
his
elevation as the head of
the Palestinian leadership. This has
also provided him with the
political and moral authority that
he restart negotiations with Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to end
Israeli occupation of the West
Bank, Gaza Strip and East

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and on the other, he has to placate

the
increasingly
restive
Palestinians
by
extracting
concessions from the Sharon
government. Considering ground
realities, this seems to be a rather
unenviable task.
But what gives supporters of the
peace process hope is the fact that
even hardliners like Sharon are
willing to do business with Abbas.
The main reason for this is the
perception among Israelis that
Abbas is a moderate and can be
trusted. The political establishment
in Israel often accused the late
Yasser Arafat of aiding, abetting
and supporting terrorism against
Israel and refused to negotiate with
him. But Abbas has won the trust
of the Israelis by taking an
unambiguous stand against
terrorism and condemning the use
of violence as an instrument of
political action.
He has already called upon
armed groups like HAMAS
(Harkat-ul Al Muqawama Al
Islamiya) and the Islamic Jehad to
give up violence and join
mainstream politics. As a
reciprocal gesture, Israel has freed
159 Palestinian prisoners. But
Abbas needs further concessions
from Israel if he is to keep his
support base intact. Israel has to be
persuaded to release the 7000
Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
In exchange, Israel is willing to
withdraw forces from the whole of
Gaza Strip and parts of the West
Bank but not at the cost of its own
security. Palestinian suicide
bombings and terrorist attacks
against Israel must end if peace
talks are to resume.
But HAMAS and Islamic Jihad
have continued their violent

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attacks on Israel despite Abbass
appeal to end violence. Analysts
say that the region has already
turned into a hotbed of Islamic
terrorism. Armed militants enjoy
widespread support among the
Palestinian populace. In the long
run this could seriously
undermine the legitimacy of
mainstream Palestinian political
groups like the Fatah.
Unless both sides compromise
to an extent on their stated
positions, a peaceful solution to
the vexed Middle East problem
will remain elusive and
unattainable.
The latest developments in
Middle East can have far reaching
ramifications in world politics as
well. The United States is closely
monitoring the situation. As a

steadfast ally of Israel it obviously

wants peace in West Asia. The
region has a great geo-strategic
and geo-political importance for
America. The American attack on
Afghanistan after 9/11 followed
by the American occupation of
Iraq has already given rise to the
perception that the US is waging
war against the whole of the
Islamic world.
Most Arabs believe America
only pays lip service to democracy
and freedom. When it comes to
speaking up for the Arabs,
American action is guided by
political expediency and not
democratic ideals. This allegation
is borne out by the fact that the US
has put virtually no pressure on
Israel to ease its stranglehold on
the
occupied
Palestinian

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territories. This growing antiAmerican feeling in the Islamic

world does not augur well for the
United States. It is precisely this
sort of resentment that spawned
terrorists like Osama Bin Laden,
Abu Musab Al Zarqawi and
Marwan Barghouti.
Mahmoud Abbass victory
indicates that the Palestinians are
willing to give up violence and
make peace with Israel. It is to be
seen how Israel responds to this
overture. The United States, as the
chief facilitator and mediator
between the two parties, has to
ensure that both the Israelis and
the Palestinians reach a fair and
just agreement. This will enhance
its own standing among Muslims
the world over.