Anarchy and the PA Elections

The ones responsible for the lawlessness in the territories are affiliated with the Palestinian security services and the Fatah movement. In the Palestinian street, they understand that this is no coincidence. The popular interpretation is that this is intentional and organized chaos whose goal is to generate riots that will lead to the cancellation of the parliamentary elections. There is serious doubt that the elections will take place in the end. Nearly the entire world does not want elections that Hamas will win.

Sharon's illness may be distracting attention from the Palestinian crisis, but it is the Palestinian political situation which makes any progress toward peace impossible for years to come. The Palestinian movement is rushing headlong into the past, with both Hamas and the new Fatah leaders, headed by Marwan Barghouti, returning to the strategies of Arafat that have failed for four decades. The only ones who still think Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas counts for anything are the Western media.

The single most remarkable event was a January 4 armed attack by Fatah on the Egyptian army, forcing that country's troops to withdraw from the Egypt-Gaza border. This event shows how ridiculous it is to expect Egypt to do anything to safeguard this border or prevent terrorists and arms from crossing it. The Egyptians are boiling mad and their anger will manifest itself in the future. No Arab state will give the Palestinians serious economic support.