Spoetnik
05-03-05, 17:47
'Barghouti sets up inner Fatah revolt'
The ruling Fatah faction headed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is facing a major crisis after scores of young guard activists resigned over the weekend, accusing senior officials of mismanagement and corruption.
The crisis is seen as the worst since Yasser Arafat founded Fatah 40 years ago.
Moreover, it is seen as a direct challenge to Abbas, who is being accused of foot-dragging with regards to his earlier promise to inject fresh and younger blood into Fatah, the largest faction in the PLO.
Jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti is believed to have orchestrated the rebellion against the top leadership of Fatah, a Palestinian Authority official told The Jerusalem Post.
He said Barghouti met in prison last week with Jamal Shobaki and Kadoura Fares, who represent the young guard in Fatah, and discussed with them the possibility of announcing mass resignations in the faction.
"Barghouti gave them the green light to declare an intifada against the Fatah Central Committee, which consists of long-time Arafat loyalists," the official added.
"This is an intifada of the young leadership against the old guard," said a top Fatah official here. "The young Fatah leaders are fed up with empty promises and want to see real changes."
The young leaders who quit are all from the West Bank. They said the revolt is directed against veteran Fatah leaders who returned with Arafat from exile in 1994 and who serve as members of the Fatah Central Committee.
Sources said at least 32 operatives resigned from two Fatah-run bodies in the West Bank on Friday. They include members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and former ministers, the sources added.
"Our decision is final and we won't backtrack," said Maher Ghnaim, a spokesman for the rebels. "We will continue with our protest to stop the deterioration in Fatah that is a result of mismanagement on the part of the Fatah Central Committee."
Ghnaim said he and his colleagues were worried by the results of the last municipal elections in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas won a majority of seats.
The young Fatah leaders fear that, unless their faction reforms and introduces democracy, Hamas would also make a strong showing in next July's election for the Palestinian Legislative Council.
"This step is not aimed at confronting the old guard, rather it is an attempt to save Fatah from disintegration," Ghnaim explained.
The showdown in Fatah comes five months before the faction is due to hold its first elections since 1989.
During his election campaign earlier this year, Abbas, under pressure from young activists who demanded a shake-up, promised to hold elections in Fatah in August. But the young Fatah leaders fear that Abbas and veteran Fatah leaders are once again seeking to sideline them.
Fares, who met with Barghouti in prison, said the resignations were a message to the leadership to speed up serious reforms to regain the popularity that Fatah has lost in recent years.
He accused top Fatah leader Hani al-Hassan and members of the Fatah Central Committee of plotting to steal the vote in the August election.
"They are working to corrupt people in Fatah and to drive a wedge between them," he said. "They are trying to get rid of some young activists and promote others so that the old guard could continue controlling Fatah. This is totally unacceptable."
Shobaki, another rebel leader, said he and his friends were hoping that there would be more democracy in Fatah in the aftermath of Arafat's death. "Unfortunately, we have discovered that nothing has changed since Arafat's death," he said. "Fatah needs an internal revolution to reorganize its affairs on democratic bases."
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109995582046
The ruling Fatah faction headed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is facing a major crisis after scores of young guard activists resigned over the weekend, accusing senior officials of mismanagement and corruption.
The crisis is seen as the worst since Yasser Arafat founded Fatah 40 years ago.
Moreover, it is seen as a direct challenge to Abbas, who is being accused of foot-dragging with regards to his earlier promise to inject fresh and younger blood into Fatah, the largest faction in the PLO.
Jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti is believed to have orchestrated the rebellion against the top leadership of Fatah, a Palestinian Authority official told The Jerusalem Post.
He said Barghouti met in prison last week with Jamal Shobaki and Kadoura Fares, who represent the young guard in Fatah, and discussed with them the possibility of announcing mass resignations in the faction.
"Barghouti gave them the green light to declare an intifada against the Fatah Central Committee, which consists of long-time Arafat loyalists," the official added.
"This is an intifada of the young leadership against the old guard," said a top Fatah official here. "The young Fatah leaders are fed up with empty promises and want to see real changes."
The young leaders who quit are all from the West Bank. They said the revolt is directed against veteran Fatah leaders who returned with Arafat from exile in 1994 and who serve as members of the Fatah Central Committee.
Sources said at least 32 operatives resigned from two Fatah-run bodies in the West Bank on Friday. They include members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and former ministers, the sources added.
"Our decision is final and we won't backtrack," said Maher Ghnaim, a spokesman for the rebels. "We will continue with our protest to stop the deterioration in Fatah that is a result of mismanagement on the part of the Fatah Central Committee."
Ghnaim said he and his colleagues were worried by the results of the last municipal elections in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas won a majority of seats.
The young Fatah leaders fear that, unless their faction reforms and introduces democracy, Hamas would also make a strong showing in next July's election for the Palestinian Legislative Council.
"This step is not aimed at confronting the old guard, rather it is an attempt to save Fatah from disintegration," Ghnaim explained.
The showdown in Fatah comes five months before the faction is due to hold its first elections since 1989.
During his election campaign earlier this year, Abbas, under pressure from young activists who demanded a shake-up, promised to hold elections in Fatah in August. But the young Fatah leaders fear that Abbas and veteran Fatah leaders are once again seeking to sideline them.
Fares, who met with Barghouti in prison, said the resignations were a message to the leadership to speed up serious reforms to regain the popularity that Fatah has lost in recent years.
He accused top Fatah leader Hani al-Hassan and members of the Fatah Central Committee of plotting to steal the vote in the August election.
"They are working to corrupt people in Fatah and to drive a wedge between them," he said. "They are trying to get rid of some young activists and promote others so that the old guard could continue controlling Fatah. This is totally unacceptable."
Shobaki, another rebel leader, said he and his friends were hoping that there would be more democracy in Fatah in the aftermath of Arafat's death. "Unfortunately, we have discovered that nothing has changed since Arafat's death," he said. "Fatah needs an internal revolution to reorganize its affairs on democratic bases."
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1109995582046