Fatah Wants Fayyad Out--Regardless Of The Consequences For West Bank

How would you translate "cuts his nose to spite his face" into Arabic?

Fatah insists on kicking out Fayyad--the one person who gives the Palestinian Authority real respect in the eyes of the West:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' dominant Fatah political faction has demanded that he sack Western-backed Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, according to a letter shown to Reuters on Thursday.


The letter, signed by senior Fatah officials, was sent to Abbas on Saturday, but the president "did not take it seriously", a Fatah official told Reuters.

However, the request underlined deep political friction at the heart of the Palestinian Authority, with many Fatah activists clearly frustrated by Fayyad, who has no significant political base of his own but wields substantial power.

..."We suggest you reconsider re-appointing Dr. Fayyad and (instead) ask that a strong Fatah figure do the job," said the letter, backed by Fatah's central revolutionary council.(Hat tip: Challah Hu Akbar)

And why does Fayyad get respect?
Because Fayyad presented a plan back in 2009 and is carrying it out:

Palestinians have finally started to act in a different way. Instead of cursing the occupation, the new strategy is aimed at building up the desired Palestinian state. The idea is to force the Israelis to the negotiating table rather than beg them to come. The way to do that is to work for a state as if there were negotiations. This idea has been brilliantly developed by the Palestinian prime minister.

Salam Fayyad proposal for the de facto creation of a Palestinian state within two years is a brilliant idea that is hard to ignore or oppose it.

Fayyad's blueprint includes plans to end the Palestinian economy's dependence on Israel, unify the legal system and downsize the government.

Anyone following the Middle East knows that the West Bank has made progress--both because of Fayyad and steps taken by Netanyahu to help their economy, steps he talked about already in 2008.

But Fatah is not the only ones who think Fayyad's plan is not so "hard to ignore or oppose"--Hamas condemned the Fayyad plan from the start:

While Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has won praise from the West for unveiling a plan for a PA state, he faces opposition from within the PA parliament. The Hamas terrorist group, which won the majority of parliament seats in the 2006 elections, has rejected the plan and accused Fayyad of serving Israeli interests.

"We have one path for our Palestinian state to be established,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum told the PA news service Maan. “The only way to do so is through resistance.”

Of course, the Hamas position makes perfect sense--as long as they are perceived as successful in their resistance against Israel, there is reason for them to stay in power. But if there is peace--or if the West Bank is seen as progressing to the status of a normal state, Hamas could well be out of a job.

This is as opposed to Fatah, who want Fayyad out because he steals the limelight from them and was never really considered a member of the 'club' to begin with, having never been a terrorist.

But it's OK if Fayyad leaves--there will be Abbas to bring the West Bank to economic viability!
Oh-oh.

Technorati Tag: Fayyad and Fatah and Hamas.