Mahmoud Abbas’s first hours in office were marked by a series of crises — from the resignation of 46 election officials who accused the ruling Fatah party of pressure to renewed violence that could threaten his leadership.
Abbas was sworn in on Saturday as the new Palestinian leader while violence raged in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army killed eight Palestinians, and militants in Gaza fired homemade rockets at the Israeli town of Sderot, critically wounding a teenage girl.
Early on Sunday, Hamas militants fired two more rockets at Sderot — an Israeli town just a few kilometres from Gaza — but no casualties or damage were reported.
The violence came as Israel launched a broad Gaza operation and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cut off ties with Abbas, demanding the new Palestinian leader rein in militants after they attacked an Israel-Gaza cargo crossing on Thursday, killing six people.
The Palestinian election officials accused Abbas’s campaign and intelligence officials of pressuring them to change procedures abruptly during the election — including keeping polls open longer and allowing voters to cast ballots in any location, not just their home towns. The new rules gave Abbas supporters more opportunities to vote, they said.
The alleged irregularities did not fundamentally affect the final tally, the officials said.
But, in what appeared to be an attempt to question Abbas’s legitimacy, the officials said they wanted to warn that such actions — which apparently included gunshots ringing out at the election commission during the vote — could easily be repeated during a parliamentary election in July.
”I was personally threatened and pressured,” said Ammar Dwaik, the commission’s deputy chairperson. ”I am therefore announcing my resignation publicly, so that everyone knows that in the upcoming legislative election, this could happen again.”
The Hamas militant group issued a statement early on Sunday warning that if there is not an immediate inquiry into the allegations, which would hold accountable those responsible, it will be seen as an endorsement for future corruption.
”These mass resignations put a big question mark on the credibility of the voter turnout and the results,” the statement said.
In his inaugural speech, Abbas condemned violence, urged an immediate ceasefire and saying he is extending Israel his hand in peace.
Officials in Sharon’s office said the speech was disappointing, because Abbas did not outline how he plans to stop attacks on Israel.
Abbas made only a vague mention of how he will deal with the violent groups that are dampening the optimism for peace that sprang up after Arafat died. Many wonder whether the window of opportunity created by Arafat’s passing is already beginning to close.
Nahum Barnea, a leading political commentator for the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot, warned that the militants in Gaza showed Abbas ”who is the real boss hours after he was sworn in”.
”Abbas’s government is being buried under the girl from Sderot … and the six that were killed on Thursday at the Karni crossing,” Barnea wrote.
‘Destined to live side by side’
In his inaugural address, Abbas made a direct appeal to the Israeli people, telling them: ”We are two peoples destined to live side by side.”
Abbas promised to be faithful to the Palestinian dream of establishing a state and demanded an end to the Israeli occupation, the assassinations of militants and the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
At the same time, he condemned violence by both sides, saying it ”does not help bring about the calm needed to enable a credible, serious peace process”.
”Our hand is extended toward an Israeli partner for making peace,” he added. ”But partnership is not through words but rather deeds.”
Abbas has said repeatedly that he prefers to co-opt the militants rather than crush them. If he fails to end their violence either through negotiations or a crackdown, however, there is little hope for a renewed peace process after four years of Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed.
But at a four-hour meeting late on Saturday between Islamic Jihad and Fatah leaders in Gaza, the militants refused to even discuss a truce.
”The issue of ceasefire cannot be discussed while the Israelis are escalating their attacks against our people, while the atmosphere is tense,” said Nafez Azzam, a senior Islamic Jihad leader who participated in Saturday’s talks.
Other militant leaders also reserved the right to continue attacks but indicated they might be ready to reach a deal with Abbas.
Thursday night’s Gaza attack may have reflected militants’ desire to prove their strength and compel Abbas to take them into account as he begins his tenure.
Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy of Hamas’s Damascus, Syria-based political bureau, said the Islamic militant group is not ready for a ceasefire deal and rejected calls to disarm.
”Our current position is against a truce. We are in a situation that does not allow us to accept a truce at this time,” Abu Marzouk said. — Sapa-AP