Palestinians' Islamist Spring
by Khaled Abu
Toameh
July 6, 2012 at 5:00 am
July 6, 2012 at 5:00 am
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In the
absence of a credible and organized Palestinian opposition in the West Bank,
Hamas will most likely hijack the "Palestinian Spring," paving the
way for Hamas to seize control over the West Bank.
After the recent wave of protests and clashes
with Palestinian Authority policemen in the West Bank, the Palestinians are
asking if the "Arab Spring" might be finally knocking on their door.
The protests, organized by young Palestinians
through Facebook and Twitter, are a reflection of increased discontent with the
Palestinian Authority leadership.
Recent public opinion polls have shown that the
popularity of Abbas's ruling Fatah faction has declined and that Palestinians
are eager for change.
Most Palestinians would like to see new faces
among the top brass of their leadership. They are fed up with the fact that the
same leaders have been in office for decades.
Many Palestinians feel that under Mahmoud Abbas,
the Palestinian Authority has joined the club of corrupt Arab dictatorships
that suppress the opposition and crack down on freedom of speech.
Hundreds of angry men and women continued to
demonstrate in the city against police brutality. The protesters accused the
Palestinian Authority of ordering the police to use excessive force to stop the
demonstrations.
At least five Palestinian journalists were
injured when Palestinian security officers and Fatah activists beat them in the
center of Ramallah. Many protesters, including women, were also beaten during
the demonstrations.
The clashes erupted last weekend in protest
against a planned visit to Ramallah by Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and former
IDF Chief of General Staff, Shaul Mofaz, Mofaz's planned visit to Ramallah was
used an excuse to vent out frustration and anger with the Palestinian Authority
leadership.
The protests forced Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas to call off the visit, but the cancellation of Mofaz's
visit did not calm things down, especially in Ramallah, the de facto capital of
the Palestinians.
In March last year, thousands of Palestinians,
inspired by the "Arab Spring," launched their own protests in the
West Bank to demand reforms, democracy and regime change. But the Palestinian
revolt was short-lived.
Abbas's security forces, backed by Fatah thugs,
attacked the young men and women who were protesting in the center of Ramallah,
torching their tents and beating them with clubs and rifle butts.
But now the Palestinian youth groups appear to
have reorganized themselves and are preparing for another wave of protests in
the West Bank. In recent days, the protesters have even begun chanting the same
slogans that Egyptians used against Hosni Mubarak and the Supreme Council of
the Egyptian Armed Forces.
The Facebook and Twitter protesters say they
have no political affiliations and that their only goal is to replace the
old-guard leaders in Ramallah with young and charismatic faces.
The Palestinian Authority, however, says that
the protests are part of a foreign conspiracy designed to undermine the
leadership of Abbas and harm the interests of the Palestinians. Some
Palestinian officials in Ramallah have gone as far as claiming that the US,
Israel and even Hamas are behind the unrest.
These accusations are similar to those that
were made by Arab dictators in the past year, including Mubarak, Muammar
Ghaddafi and Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh. Arab dictatorships often try to
discredit their opponents by accusing them of being Israeli and American spies
and agents.
Yet in the absence of a credible and organized
Palestinian opposition in the West Bank, it is most likely that Hamas will
hijack any "Palestinian Spring." Unfortunately, the young men and
women who are leading the anti-Palestinian Authority campaign in the West Bank
do not represent the majority. That is why a Palestinian Spring could quickly
turn into an Islamist Spring, paving the way for Hamas to seize control over
the West Bank.
The only way this outcome might possibly be
avoided is if International community immediately demands reforms from Abbas:
the end to corruption, and the end to repression of free speech.
Related Topics: Khaled Abu
Toameh
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