Is it sour grapes or reflexive anti-Palestinian sentiment or paranoia to question whether the Palestinian Authority is moderate? Judge for yourself on the basis of the following:
Fatah, the main component of the Palestinian Authority, is in a bit of a stew. It would like to launch a third intifada an armed uprising against Israel but thinks it does not have the power right now.
The source for this is none other than Nabil Shaath, a veteran Fatah official.
He would like to see popular resistance to the West Bank security fence (which stops suicide bombers and has brought a measure of peace not only to Israel but to the Palestinians, and has enabled the Palestinian economy to take hold); to Israeli building in east Jerusalem (while not objecting to Palestinian building in east Jerusalem, which somehow never gets reported); and to Israeli settlements in the West Bank (which take up some 9% of the West Bank, hardly choking Palestinian society or dreams).
He also sees as a justification for another armed uprising Israels siege of Gaza. Gaza, remember? The area Israel withdrew from in entirety in 2005? Gaza, the area from which Hamas shoots rockets at Israeli cities, such as Sderot? Gaza, which smuggles in arms via the Sinai Peninsula so that it can launch still stronger attacks against Israel?
Were not talking here about whether we have the right to do so or not [to launch another intifada], Shaath told the Jerusalem Post, but we are talking about whether it would be effective and whether we have the capabilities and desire.
Keep in mind, an armed uprising or intifada is but another word for a terrorist onslaught: the bombing of cafeterias, pizzerias, nightclubs, buses and other civilian sites. This is what Nabil Shaath, a senior Fatah official, has no doubt that he has the right to.
Is that moderate? If it is, with moderates like this for potential peace partners, who needs extremist enemies? What, really, is the difference between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas?
In all this hatred and lust for violence, there is a silver lining. The reason why Shaath doubts whether Fatah has the capabilities just now for another intifada is the tremendous losses that the Palestinian suffered in the last intifada. Israels superior firepower, especially manifest in its counteroffensive after the Passover massacre in Netanya in 2002, restored Israels deterrence, at least vis-a-vis the West Bank. (It took many more years of Hamas provocations until Israel restored its deterrent power vis-a-vis Hamas in December, 2008, and January, 2009.)
Thats the good news. The bad news is that both the moderate Fatah and the extremist Hamas are now busying themselves for the next round of fighting (popular resistance) by trying to acquire ever more powerful rockets, launchers and other weapons.
Do these Palestinian leaders sound like the type of people who would live in peace with Israel from within the boundaries of their own state? Palestinian state. Two-state solution. Its become a shibboleth. But a solution? Not if the moderate leaders of the PA are in charge.
