Fayyad for president

Faisal Abu Shahla Gaza - Mahmoud Habib  According to Faisal Abu Shahla, a member of the Revolutionary Council of Fatah, Salam Fayyad is best placed to head the next government, and to avoid the blockade and boycott. He stated : "I consider that Egypt continues to play a role in supporting the Palestinian reconciliation." He added that Turkey also plays an positive role in attempting to bridge the gap between the different viewpoints of Fatah and Hamas. He pointed out that the political dispute between the two factions ended after the speech given in Cairo by the President of the Political Bureau of the Hamas movement, Khaled Meshaal, following the signing of the reconciliation agreement in Cairo. "Arabs Today" met him for an interview:
Q: Many members of the Fatah movement reject the nomination of Fayyad for the presidency. Has the president been imposed on the movement, and why has Fayyad been advocated for the presidency?
A: The Central Committee of the Fatah movement decided to formally nominate Fayyad after the President Mahmoud Abbas gave a presentation on the reasons why he advocates Fayyad for the position. Hamas has also presented its only and final candidate, the MP Jamal al-Khaddari, but both factions have rejected the other candidate, and reconciliation dialogues have stopped at this point. Every decision has its pros and cons, but President Abbas has stuck to supporting Fayyad especially due to the importance of preventing the division and the beseigement of the next government. This decision was signed at the Cairo Agreement, and there has been no conflict between President Abbas and the Fatah movement. The fact that some of the Fatah leaders rejected Fayyad as a candidate for the presidency does not mean that there is a split. However, it does represent a difference in opinions, especially as some sides of the Hamas movement have declared explicitly that they accept Fayyad. This does not mean that Fayyad is our one and only candidate. We are committed to the agreement of reconciliation, and we will not allow these decisions to disrupt the agreement. Eventually we will agree on the ministers and their President.
Q: Is there pressure on President Abbas to nominate Fayyad?
A: There is no pressure to nominate Fayyad. There are other plans for him. President Abbas does want to enter the process of reconcilliation at risk, and he is keen to complete the process without obstacles. He considers that Fayyad is the most appropriate candidate for this phase.
Q: The Hamas movement, and a large proportion of the Palestinians reject Fayyad as the candidate for the presidency of the next government for many reasons, including that he does not have a national plan. What is your comment on this matter?
A: We do not need the President of the government to have a political plan, but we want to head a transitional government. The main aim is to provide funds for this interim period, and Fayyad
is best placed to head the next government, avoiding the blockade and the boycott. The reconciliation will not fail beccause of one individual - we will all agree in the end given the priority of national unity.
Q: What can you tell us about the nature of Turkey's movements towards the success of the reconciliation and all the visits by President Abbas to Meshaal recently?
A: As a regional power, Turkey has a presence and respect in Palestine. It has intervened in the reconciliation bringing its point of view, and its coordination of a strategy for the Palestinian leadership. Egypt also plays a prominent role in supporting the Palestinians, while the Palestinian side takes an active role. The reconciliation will be implemented sooner or later.
Q: It appears that Hamas has shown flexibility during the reconciliation dialogue. Do you consider that Fatah has displayed the same flexibility?
A: “Yes, President Abbas has also renounced some of his powers to make this reconciliation work. He has given up the naming of the Prime Minister, the formation of the Central Election Commission, the Electoral Court, and the formation of the Supreme Security Council. Fatah have contributed a lot to the reconciliation which they believe is of strategic benefit. Fighting with Hamas is only beneficial for the Israeli occupation. Although the four-year split won’t end overnight, the media crossfire between them has.”
Q: The file of political detainees was supposed to be the beginning of the reconciliation, but the deadlock in this file caused people to doubt whether or not it will succeed, what do you think?
A: People’s worry regarding reconciliation is expected. Both parties want the reconciliation to work and our disagreement was regarding the names of detainees on each side. Fatah does not rule in the West Bank alone, and it is not represented by the Prime Minister or Ministers. Hundreds of names of detainees were presented, and some were not punished as ruled. Some were released, and we are now left with 80 detainees, 30 of which are in Gaza. But there is a Supreme Security Committee headed by Egypt which studies the file of each detainee to assess their cases individually. This is as some of them have political accusations against them rather than criminal accusations, and they insist on keeping them under arrest, as Hamas said that everyone who was arrested in Gaza was arrested under criminal accusations, when in fact they were political accusations. They were politicians. The same thing happened in the West Bank, and that is why this file needs detailed and careful studying.
Q: What is your personal opinion on the decision to remove Mohammed Dahlan from Fatah? Do you think that it will have an effect on the reconciliation?
A: This is an internal Fatah matter and has nothing to do with the reconciliation. Fatah will never split - all trials to split Fatah in the past have failed; they can overcome any crisis they face.
Q: What is your comment on the accusations against Dahlan to liquidate the leaders of resistance groups?
A: That’s inaccurate media reporting. I’m not following the investigation, but if any evidence was found against Dahlan, then we respect the Justice and Palestinian laws.
Q: Are you pro the split?
A: I am committed to the decisions of the movement, but I refuse to divide the movement between supporters and opponents, and the Revolutionary Council will be held soon to discuss this topic.
Q: There are accusations that Fatah has lost its direction between the negotiations and reconciliation, what do you think?
A: Fatah has proved its strong position to everyone. It is the strongest side, as it was the first to lead the armed struggle until a point was reached where peace negotiations could take place. Fatah wants the Palestine of 1967, and its capital Jerusalem, and the right of its refugees to return to their homes. But the disagreements between Fatah and Hamas ended after the speech made by Khaled Meshaal, leader of the Hamas Political Bureau, in Cairo. There is now an obvious understanding between all parties there, except for the Islamic Jihad that signed the national reconciliation document in 2005 and identified the Palestinian political programme.
Q: The September investigation was a source of hope for authorities towards achieving the dream of a Palestinian state, despite that some people saw it as a burden? What do you think?

A: The decision of the Investigation Committee to go to the United Nations puts a huge amount of pressure on Israel and its supporters, because it attests to international laws and the double standards of some countries, with the United States at the top of the list. The international community as a whole believes that dissolving both Israel and Palestine is the only solution to ending the conflict between them. It is a test that we have to carry out.