Abbas to not seek re-election

[blake 3:17]

Mahmoud Abbas will not seek re-election as Palestinian president

Leader of Fatah movement, seen as a moderate by the west, to sit out forthcoming election according to reports in West Bank

<LI class=byline sizset="31" sizcache="0">Rory McCarthy (http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/rorymccarthy) in Jerusalem <LI class=publication sizset="32" sizcache="0">guardian.co.uk (http://www.guardian.co.uk/), Thursday 5 November 2009 20.23 GMT
The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, announced tonight his surprise decision not to run in next year's presidential election in frustration at the lack of progress in resuming peace talks with Israel (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/israel).

Abbas, who became president nearly five years ago, had been expected to seek re-election, despite the deep factional divisions among his own people and the deadlock in returning to peace talks. But he said the Palestinians were "at a crossroads".

"I do not want to run for the coming presidential elections," he said in a 15-minute speech on national television in which he summed up his achievements and his commitment to a negotiated two-state peace agreement. "This is not some kind of compromise or a manoeuvre," he added.

Abbas told his Fatah party of his decision on yesterday and the PLO leadership today. Both urged him to reconsider. The Egyptian and Israeli presidents, as well as the Jordanian king, all called to urge him to stay on.

It puts the Palestinians at a crucial juncture. Abbas was elected on a platform of negotiations towards a two-state agreement with Israel. His departure now would represent what many Palestinians already feel: that after nearly two decades, peace talks have proved futile and a two-state deal, with Israel and a viable Palestinian state living side-by-side, is out of reach.

Full story http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/05/mahmoud-abbas-palestinian-authority-fatah

[GPDP]

Good riddance. He's a fucking sellout.

[Yehuda Stern]

Well, Abbas is all set with the money he needs for the rest of his life. Now the only question is whose blood is he going to suck on to sustain now that his popular base is all dried up.

[pierrotlefou]

Probably a big blow to the "peace negotiations":laugh: since the next leader will probably be less moderate and more aggressive to Israel.

[Revy]

Interesting info about Marwan Barghouti (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/palestinianauthority/6516150/Marwan-Barghouti-could-stand-as-Palestinian-president.html)....



Marwan Barghouti, a charismatic figure who enjoys widespread support across the Palestinian territories, is considering making a stand if presidential elections go ahead as scheduled for January, officials in the West Bank said.
The prospect of a prison cell campaign would delight many ordinary Palestinians as well a number of left-wing Israeli politicians.
But it could also please pragmatists in the Jewish state who see Barghouti as a vital element of the Middle East peace process who could unite Hamas and Fatah.
Frequently described as "the Palestinian Nelson Mandela", Barghouti is seen as a reformer committed to negotiations with Israel despite his past.
Arrested during an Israeli raid on the West Bank city of Ramallah in 2002, he was convicted of orchestrating a bombing on a Tel Aviv market that killed four Israelis and a Greek monk. He was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences.
For all his popularity – many analysts say he would almost certainly win an election – there are many obstacles to a Barghouti presidency, not least his present incarceration.
Danny Ayalon, Israel's deputy foreign minister, ruled out an early release yesterday although Shimon Peres, the country's president, has stated in the past that he would grant Barghouti a pardon if he was elected leader of the Palestinian Authority.
Nor is it certain that Mr Abbas will fulfil his pledge not to seek a second term.
Although he insisted his decision was no stunt, many observers suggested Mr Abbas was sending a pointed message to his ally, the United States, after the Obama administration showed signs of closing ranks with Israel on the controversial issue of Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank.
A successful Barghouti candidacy also depends whether he can garner support for a presidential bid from Fatah, the dominant political party in the West Bank, which, for the moment, is calling on Mr Abbas to rescind his decision.
Mahdi Abdel Hadi, a leading Palestinian political scientist, said: "He is interested in running and, yes, he is seriously thinking about it but Barghouti can't do anything unless there is consensus within Fatah."
Many observers see Barghouti as playing a vital role in the peace process because of his potential to end the damaging divisions that have prevented Palestinians speaking with one voice.
He certainly has the common touch – Michael Portillo once described him as having "the charisma of Che Guevara" – and while his appeal is broadest among the Palestinian masses, he has crucially been able to win the support of Fatah's increasingly influential younger members.
More pertinently, he is also seen as the one leader who could end a rift between Fatah and the Islamists of Hamas that threatens to undermine any peace agreement with Israel from the outset.
Hamas, like many ordinary Palestinians, reveres him for his role as a key leader during the second Intifada, or uprising, against Israel during which he created the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a militia coalition.
Israelis who support his release hope that Barghouti's popularity would attract many Hamas followers to throw their weight behind the far more moderate Fatah, an outcome that would also bolster the peace process.

[Steve_j]

Maybe he can get a job in the knesset, they seem to love him over there :)

[Revy]

Bump? What do you think about the characterization of Marwan Barghouti as the "Palestinian Nelson Mandela"? What would be the differences between him and Abbas should he win the Fatah nomination?