By Frank Barat – Nablus, West Bank
Palestine Chronicle
"On Saturday the 9th of August we headed out to upper Nablus where we'd arranged an interview with the ex-mayor of the city, Bassam Shaka......
Why do you think that Mahmoud Abbas continues to meet with Israel and act as if progress were made towards a just peace?
Our people are not with Mahmoud Abbas. You have to remember that Hamas got 70 percent of the vote in the last elections. This was a big victory for Hamas, by a large margin. Mahmoud Abbas first priority is to be friend with the USA and the international community. The will of his people comes after. He thinks he deals on equal terms with Israel that he is on the same level. Like many members of the P.A. they think that they are bigger than they really are. Some of them think that after peace will be established with Israel they will rule the whole Arab world. A fantasy. They are getting more and more power while their people are getting weaker and weaker. They begin to think like imperialists......
Should the Palestinian Authority be dismantled, then?
The Palestine Liberation Organization must return as a representative of our people. It must return to its roots before it completely looses itself. The P.L.O. was created to continue the struggle against the occupier and to fight for our national rights and the respect of international law. Many countries recognized the P.L.O before they recognized Israel! The P.L.O is as rich as Kuwait, they have millions! We have the facts for us. We have international law for us. We have respect of human rights for us. We need to win back the moral higher ground. We can do this by being a lot more active with the media, by publicizing our struggle a lot more. Unfortunately this is really hard. I am going to give you an example. A few months ago we tried to organize a big meeting with newspapers offices around the West Bank. They all refused because they were afraid of the repercussions. We recently had a meeting with a small newspaper from the West Bank. They were threatened that if the meeting was to happen, they will face problems in the future. They still came. The next day the newspaper office was burned down. Listen, the media is under control. If they go against big states, they get no money. That is why most of them support Mahmoud Abbas, for the money. However, there is still one option. We need the internationals to come to Palestine in bigger number than ever. Then we need them to go back to their home countries and to tell the Palestinian story. To make people think outside the box. The information is there. People coming here can go back and help others to open a little door. Then, everything could change for the best."
Palestine Chronicle
"On Saturday the 9th of August we headed out to upper Nablus where we'd arranged an interview with the ex-mayor of the city, Bassam Shaka......
Why do you think that Mahmoud Abbas continues to meet with Israel and act as if progress were made towards a just peace?
Our people are not with Mahmoud Abbas. You have to remember that Hamas got 70 percent of the vote in the last elections. This was a big victory for Hamas, by a large margin. Mahmoud Abbas first priority is to be friend with the USA and the international community. The will of his people comes after. He thinks he deals on equal terms with Israel that he is on the same level. Like many members of the P.A. they think that they are bigger than they really are. Some of them think that after peace will be established with Israel they will rule the whole Arab world. A fantasy. They are getting more and more power while their people are getting weaker and weaker. They begin to think like imperialists......
Should the Palestinian Authority be dismantled, then?
The Palestine Liberation Organization must return as a representative of our people. It must return to its roots before it completely looses itself. The P.L.O. was created to continue the struggle against the occupier and to fight for our national rights and the respect of international law. Many countries recognized the P.L.O before they recognized Israel! The P.L.O is as rich as Kuwait, they have millions! We have the facts for us. We have international law for us. We have respect of human rights for us. We need to win back the moral higher ground. We can do this by being a lot more active with the media, by publicizing our struggle a lot more. Unfortunately this is really hard. I am going to give you an example. A few months ago we tried to organize a big meeting with newspapers offices around the West Bank. They all refused because they were afraid of the repercussions. We recently had a meeting with a small newspaper from the West Bank. They were threatened that if the meeting was to happen, they will face problems in the future. They still came. The next day the newspaper office was burned down. Listen, the media is under control. If they go against big states, they get no money. That is why most of them support Mahmoud Abbas, for the money. However, there is still one option. We need the internationals to come to Palestine in bigger number than ever. Then we need them to go back to their home countries and to tell the Palestinian story. To make people think outside the box. The information is there. People coming here can go back and help others to open a little door. Then, everything could change for the best."
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