by Mohamad Shmaysani, almanar
01/07/2009 Palestinian Prime Minister designate, Salam Fayyad, appears to have his own agenda, or rather the same agenda as US General Keith Dayton’s.
Dayton is appointed by former US President George W. Bush and maintained by the new Obama administration, to the post of Coordinator for US Security in the Palestinian Territories. Since Dayton’s arrival, Fayyad seems to be following his guidelines, stipulating Israel will always have the upper hand over Palestinian rights.
According to Palestinian columnist, Mounir Chafik, the goal is not to repress the factions of the Palestinian resistance, Hamas and Jihad, but also to eradicate Fatah elements from the circles of the Palestinian Authority and civil security services.
Thus, Dayton was able to train and arm a 900-strong force dependent on the paramilitary leader of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas. The force is named Bader and it is aimed at replacing the various Palestinian security forces under Fatah, founded by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Having participated actively in the second intifada against the Israeli enemy, the decision was made to sack them.
Effectively, Keith Dayton dismissed 7000 Fatah members to recruit new ones, teaching them a whole new ideology hostile to the resistance, and whose mission is to perform the dirty jobs of the soldiers of the Israeli occupation in the West Bank: liquidate the cells of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah. Charity associations, educational and health facilities belonging to those factions will not be spared as well.
Quoting the words of Dayton, in his speech at the Washington Institute in May 2009 that “the performance of Bader force has stunned the Israelis,” Chafik concludes that it is through this Palestinian force that Israeli troops in the West Bank were able to go to Gaza, to conduct the war in December-January.
Chafik also discussed Fayyad’s last speech on June 21, which he delivered at the University of Jerusalem, in the town of Aboudiss. The US-backed PM designate said he would “create institutions of an independent state within two years , based on a mature power … “.
Fayyad’s comments suggest a process similar to that adopted with the security forces: a smooth removal of the remaining Fatah officials to replace them with “elements loyal to Fayyad and the duo (George) Mitchell-Dayton,” says Chafik.
But what worries the Palestinian analyst the most in Fayyad’s speech is a five-word sentence that may have gone unnoticed: “We are meeting in Jerusalem,” he began his speech, knowing that he was speaking in Aboudiss, a city located outside the occupied holy city of Jerusalem; the same city that the Israelis insist on trying to impose as the capital of the “state” of Palestine.
However, Fayyad is going to have to accept that the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had unequivocally and firmly rejected in Camp David in 2000 to give up Al-Quds as the capital of Palestine.
Presumably, Fayyad cannot act without the green light of Mahmoud Abbas. Worth mentioning, the PM designate’s illusive comments to the Palestinian public have backlashed, as distributing roles requires one who creates a fait-accompli and another who distracts the Palestinian people who has, so far, led two Intifadas for the sake of their just cause.
Leila Mazboudi contributed to this report
Khaled Meshaal, Keith Dayton, and the future of Palestinian security forces
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