Palestinians have a great hurdle to overcome in order to move forward and score any progress against the setbacks of recent years. Our future will have to be shaped by the combined efforts of Palestinian, Israeli, and American leaderships.
We Palestinians must rise up to the occasion and put aside our differences so that our unity is a top priority. Israelis must act to ease Palestinian conditions so that a new legitimate leadership can be elected. And Americans must seize the opportunity and invest serious efforts with heavy backing from President Bush himself to bring about a fair solution to the table.
It is crucial that Israel does everything in its capacity to facilitate the holding of free Palestinian elections. But without full Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories, and without allowing Palestinians in East Jerusalem to take part in the elections, it will not only be impossible to hold elections, but it is a safe bet to say that we would be heading toward a more chaotic situation; something that neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis can afford.
Despite the anger and despair among our people and the actions of militants on the Palestinian streets, the Palestinian leadership is prepared to work for peace. The first step is to elect a new leadership with a mandate to make peace. This point was very clearly made by Rawhi Fatouh, acting president of the Palestinian National Authority, at a meeting I attended with him two weeks ago in Ramallah.
At this point, the only person in the Palestinian leadership that I believe embodies qualities that can bring about unity is Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). Are we more concerned about electing a leader whom we can rally around and 'worship' or are do we want a leader who can actually rally international support and deliver what others cannot? From my conversations with most people, I believe that Abu Mazen is the right candidate, especially because of his realization that in order to move forward we must be realistic. We cannot afford to elect a leader who is in an Israeli jail, a situation that would force us to focus on freeing him rather than on establishing a national agenda.
I believe firmly that Marwan Barghouti should withdraw his candidacy for president and make his release part of Abu Mazen's agenda.
Barghouti is clearly a man whom the people trust. Nonetheless, his intentions to serve as president from an Israeli jail cell will not only weaken Fatah, but will also weaken the prospects of peace with Israel and could affect the crucial international support required to make the transition to the next period.
Every step we Palestinians take must be coordinated on the Palestinian national level and on a regional Arab and international level. Abu Mazen is already taking a step in that direction. Talks with Hamas and other Palestinian groups, as well as talks with other Arab leaders such as King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Bashar Al Assad of Syria and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt are being conducted. Such talks must continue to be the focus of our efforts as we embark on a new path. The only person able to actually deliver in this regard is Abu Mazen. He enjoys the support of the Arab countries, which is extremely important in any future negotiations with the Israelis. And beyond that, he is already working to strengthen Palestinian-Arab relations as is witnessed by his upcoming visit to six of the Gulf States.
I believe we as a people are aware that Abu Mazen is a transitional figure who represents continuity rather than dramatic change, which is something best left for a later stage. We must consider the fact that the formal succession process is less important than the changes that are now possible in Palestinian politics - changes that include the shift from politics based on individuals and the cult of personality to institutions. We need a leader whom we can respect and hold accountable; this will introduce the change from governance based on centralized and arbitrary authority to governance that is transparent and accountable.
Finally, for any real improvement in the situation to take place, a clear, sincere and serious American involvement is necessary to help rebuild the Palestinian Authority's institutions and exert the necessary pressure on Israel to move forward. President Bush must put his full weight and personal effort into making this work. All the involved parties so far endorsed the road map, but as former secretary of state Madeleine Albright put it, "the road map was never taken out of the glove compartment". Now is the time to take the road map out of the glove compartment. It should be the framework through which the Gaza pullout plan is implemented and it is a good starting point for any further negotiations to come.
Fadi A. Elsalameen is founder & co-director of the Voice of Arab Youth
Abu Mazen can bring about unity
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