Abbas: Bread Is More Important Than Democracy

Bread or Democracy

By Daoud Kuttab
(Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist and director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University in Ramallah and the founder of the Arab world's first Internet radio station Ammannet)

"In an eight column headline on 18 October the leading Palestinian newspaper "Al Quds" summarized the current position of the Palestinian president.

Abbas: Bread is more important than democracy. Mahmoud Abbas, the moderate Palestinian president, is pointing out that in order to bypass the unjust siege that has been placed on Palestinians he will have to shelve the democratic process.

When looking at regimes that care little for their own people, it is hard to argue with a leader who gives priority to feeding his own people, even at the expense of democracy. But in a region where the only Arab democratic elections were Palestinian, this would be a shame.

The need to suspend the democratic process stems from the deadlock that Palestinians find themselves in eight months after the parliamentary elections that replaced the ruling PLO secular leadership with Islamists from the Hamas movement. Despite being elected president following the death of Yaser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas does not have the power to dissolve the parliament. Ironically, the few powers that the position of president now has is the result of the attempts by the international community to weaken the power or then president Arafat.

After winning the elections, last January, Hamas has been handicapped from ruling. An international siege was placed on Palestinians because Hamas has refused to de facto recognize Israel. Hamas says that they accept the existence of Israel and approve that the office of the President negotiate with them, but that they are not obliged to recognize a power that has been occupied Palestinian lands for 39 years.

While it is reasonable to understand why countries might choose not to financially support this or that government, what is unreasonable is that the international community is not allowing Arab and Muslim countries to transfer any money to Palestinians. Israel has refused to transfer to the Palestinian government taxes that are collected from Palestinians. It is estimated that about $50 million a month are collected in customs, taxes and other fees from Palestinians.

Under pressure from the international community Abbas is tempted to fire the elected government (even using undemocratic methods) and replace it with one that is acceptable by the Americans and the Israelis in order to overcome the dire economic situation which is on the edge of hunger and starvation.

This predicament of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is directly connected to US policy in the region. The Bush administration has made the issue of democracy the center of its policy in the Middle East. If the only truly democratic process will be reversed in order to avoid starvation, what will this do to the plans of democratizing the greater Middle East.

Democracy is defined as the rule of the people by the people. Whether the Americans and their allies like it or not, the Palestinians have taken a page from them and used it to elect a corruption-free government. Democracy is messy and we are witnessing part of this messiness in Palestine. But if we true believe in people we must understand that democracy has within it the mechanism to correct much of the problems that it produces at times.

Choosing between bread and democracy is not a fair choice. Palestinians of all levels are being asked to make an impossible choice. Should undemocratic means be used to dismiss the Hamas-led parliament and government just because it is not to the likings of the leaders of Israel, America and Europe and so that money for salaries will be allowed in and the Palestinian tax money be returned? Or can we dream of the supremacy of democratic process irrespective of whoever the people choose and have the patience to allow this choice to be changed in due time if the people feel it must be changed?"