Mahmoud Abbas, who has emerged as the principal Palestinian leader following the death of Yasser Arafat, on Thursday said he intends to bring a complete and unconditional end to Palestinian violence.
Abbas, the leader of the politically dominant Fatah movement in the occupied territories, declared the demise of the Palestinian uprising, the intifada, when he told the British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, in Ramallah that ending the killing is his first priority and that he expects Israel to reciprocate in time.
But the smooth path to power that Abbas has sought to carve out for himself was under challenge on Thursday night after the imprisoned militant, Marwan Barghouti, made a bid to become Fatah’s candidate in January’s election for the Palestinian Authority presidency.
Fatah’s revolutionary council on Thursday night endorsed Abbas’s nomination, already agreed in principle this week.
But a faction within the movement that is opposed to ending the intifada and considers Abbas too willing to compromise with Israel has fought hard for Barghouti to be adopted. Israel has said it has no intention of releasing Barghouti from prison where he is serving five life terms for murder.
His challenge, though, has fuelled speculation within Fatah that he might run for PA president as candidate for a splinter group from the movement or as an independent with the backing of militant Islamist groups that would offer a powerful challenge to Abbas. Barghouti’s lawyer on Thursday night said his client would announce a decision by Sunday.
Earlier, Straw laid a wreath at Arafat’s grave in Ramallah and signed a condolences book for the man the British government and the US had attempted to sideline.
Straw then met Abbas, the firm choice of western governments for the PA presidency. The Fatah leader said he is seeking an agreement with all armed groups to end attacks on Israel.
”What is needed is a comprehensive and complete calm in the occupied territories,” he said. ”We have no illusions over the difficulties we might face but we will go on … But this requires the Israelis to take up their responsibilities and stop its attacks and assassinations in Palestine, and stopping settlement activities and construction of the wall.”
However, in his discussions with Straw and, earlier this week, with Colin Powell, the outgoing US secretary of state, Abbas made clear there were no preconditions for ending the violence.
Abbas has been pressing Hamas, Islamic Jihad and groups linked to his own Fatah movement to agree an end to attacks on Israeli targets since the death of Arafat.
British officials said they were heartened by statements by Israel demanding ”100% commitment” by the Palestinians to ending violence before resuming negotiations.
But Abbas on Thursday warned that Israel’s intention to pull all Jewish settlers out of the Gaza Strip next year should not be a unilateral action. He demanded that it be used to revive the dormant US-led ”road map” to peace. – Guardian Unlimited Â