Palestinian elections

I'm often critical of the Bush administration.  But let me just say that if the reports are true that the administration has been strongly supportive of holding Palestinian elections in January, even over Israeli reservations, then I am in full agreement and support.  Arafat's death has offered a window for possible change and progress, and this is a chance for the US to start to rebuild some of its long-squandered capital in the region.  Real elections are the only way to begin the slow process of rebuilding the Palestinian institutions shattered by years of war and eviscerated by years of Arafat's insistence on centralizing power. 

Oh, and let me just remind readers who weren't around in the early days of the blog that I was pushing the idea of Marwan Barghouti -- a guy with great credibility among all Palestinian factions who has also publicly endorsed a negotiated two state solution -as a replacement for Arafat long before it was cool.

UPDATE:  just to clarify:  Bush's support for Palestinian elections is great if the point is really to allow the Palestinians a free choice in choosing their own leadership.  If the point is just to give Mahmoud Abass "legitimacy" by having him ratified in an "election," then don't bother.  In case you're curious, this Gulf News survey found 50% of Palestinians favoring Barghouti and 93% saying that they wouldn't accept Abu Mazen (Abass).    And this rather more scientific survey by Khalil Shikaki's PCRPS in September (i.e. before Arafat's death) found this: "In a race for the office of the president involving Yasir Arafat, Marwan Barghouti, and Mahmud Zahhar [note:  Hamas - who has already said that he and Hamas will not participate in the elections], Arafat receives the vote of 35%, Zahhar 15%, and Barghouti 13%.... In the race for the office of a vice president, Marwan Barghouti came first with 22%, followed by Mahmud Zahhar and Haidar Abdul Shafi with 12% each, Saeb Erekat with 6%, Mohammad Dahlan with 4%, Ahmad Quari with 3% and Mahmud Abbas with 2%. The gap in the popularity of Marwan Barghouti compared to that of Arafat decreases in the cities of Nablus (20% compared to 27% respectively), in Ramallah (13% to 30%), in Jabalia (15% to 28%), in Khanyounis (19% to 36%), in Deir al Balah (17% to 30%), in cities in general (15% to 34%), among holders of BA degree (16% to 23%), among women (14% to 33%), among those with the highest income (21% to 29%), and among supporters of Hamas (14% to 15%)."

Comments

[upyernoz]

that's why i read your site--you're always on the cutting edge

[alex]

right on. i've been a barghouti fan for a while now, too, and am glad to see him getting some good pub!

[Nur al-Cubicle]

I've read several accounts in the foreign press that the Palestinians will slate Barghouti. Unka George and Ant Condi ain't going to like that.

[Jonathan Edelstein]

I suspect that Abu Mazen may have more electoral support than the polls reflect. He may not be the voters' first choice among Fatah candidates, but now that Fatah has nominated him, supporters of the faction might vote for him in preference to a non-Fatah alternative. A Barghouti candidacy would be interesting, and it could be what breaks the logjam, but it isn't clear whether he'd run without a Fatah nomination. If he doesn't run, then he might be the kingmaker - Abu Mazen, for instance, would be much more legitimate if he had Barghouti's backing.