by Hillel Fendel
Former Shabak chief: "Anyone who wants to translate the cancellation of PA elections into terror attacks would be advised to prepare himself a gravesite."
Israel has held too many elections of late – but that's a lot more democratic than what is going on in the Palestinian Authority: no elections at all.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has held his position since January 2005, when he was elected in a popular vote for a four-year term. A quick calculation shows that his term ended over 12 years ago – yet he has never vacated his seat. Abbas has found every excuse in the world since then not to hold a new election, because of his sense that he and Fatah would lose control of the PA to the Hamas terror organization.
The last postponement took place last week. The elections were to have been held this coming May 22, but once again, Abbas (also known as Abu Mazen) saw a defeat coming, and announced that they would actually not be held as scheduled. No date for new elections was announced.
Fatah's official reason for the postponement is that Israel refuses to allow Jerusalem Arabs to participate in the election. It is true that this is Israel's position – in precise accordance with the Oslo Agreements, which state that the status of Jerusalem is yet to be negotiated. This Oslo clause means of course that until such negotiations take place, the status quo remains in place.
Not even Hamas, Fatah's main opposition and the organization favored to win an election whenever it might be held, believes Abbas when he blames Israel for the election postponement. Hamas terrorist leader Ismail Haniye said on Friday night, "To say that it's because Israel is preventing the elections from being held in Jerusalem is not convincing."
Even more significantly, Mussa Abu Marzouk, Deputy Chief of the Hamas Political Office abroad, told the Quds news agency that the real reason Abbas doesn't want to hold elections is because of the split within his Fatah faction. Clearly such a split would grant an overwhelming electoral victory to Hamas.
Thus, when you hear or read that Israel is to blame for Fatah's lack of democracy, don't believe it – and tell others why.
"We heard the Jerusalem excuse from Fatah leaders a long time ago," Abu Marzouk said, "when the dialogue about [Hama-Fatah] conciliation began and the elections were first announced. Fatah leaders [even] told us that in their estimation, we would not reach Election Day because of the Fatah split. They hoped to remain united and run as one list, but they failed."
Abu Marzouk's hatred of Israel was evident in his words to Quds: "As far as Hamas is concerned, elections must be held in Jerusalem, the holy city. We must not act in any way according to what the Israelis want. The elections are a Palestinian affair, and yielding to Israel's position means recognizing Israeli sovereignty over this holy land."
EU Pressure
The European Union sought to use the impasse as a means of pressuring Israel. The Lebanese newspaper Al-Ahbar reported that when Abu Mazen informed the EU of his decision to call off the election, EU elements asked him to postpone the announcement in order to pressure Israel to allow Jerusalem Arabs to vote.
Hamas has creatively used its opposition to Fatah to serve its murderous terrorist intentions against Israel. It is widely assumed, especially in Israeli security circles, that the terrorist shooting at the Tapuah Junction this week was its way of protesting the Fatah decision to call off the elections. Three Israelis were wounded in the attack, including one in mortal condition and another in serious condition.
Another Hamas spokesman hatefully threatened Israel as follows: "There is no justification to postpone the election, and our men in Jerusalem are prepared to battle with the occupation [i.e., Israel] in order to force the elections upon it, and approval for the Jerusalemites to take part."
Another reason for the horrific shooting attack – and even more so, for the wave of Palestinian violence against Israelis in Jerusalem throughout this month of Ramadan – is simply the vile and raging anti-Semitic incitement spewed by Abbas and his Fatah party. As reported by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), Fatah produced and broadcast at least one video showing Arabs in Jerusalem kicking Jews on the ground and mobs chasing, surrounding, and attacking an Orthodox Jew. This and more, PMW reported, comes "on the heels of intensive and focused PA incitement to violence and terror."
Israel is not cowed. Former Shabak chief Avi Dichter, who is now a Likud MK, said, "There will not be PA elections in Jerusalem. The heating up of Judea and Samaria with attempts to murder Jews is a result of incitement by blaming Israel for the postponement of PA elections. Anyone who wants to translate this into terror attacks would be advised to prepare himself a gravesite."