Ramallah, June - As a Palestinian Legislative Council member as well as former presidential candidate and Palestinian Information Minister, recently sacked by Abu Mazen, Mustafa Barghouti is among the relevant personalities emerging from Palestinian civil society. He explained to Arab monitor that Israel hasn't changed since 1948: it actually doesn't want any partner for peace and it wants to divide the Palestinian population leaving responsibility for it with other countries, while maintaining control over the territory.
Many (Hamas, Egypt, Russia) continue to stress the necessity of returning to dialogue among Palestinians. Abu Mazen however, rejects that. Do you see any chance for it happening in the near future?
"I would say that at the end there is no other solution than resuming dialogue on the grounds of clear objectives regarding some fundamental questions such as the constitution of a new government of national unity, the convocation of early elections, a radical reform of the security services and the reconstruction of a Palestinian national leadership that has been sorely lacking over the past years".
Is there any initiative in the making to push the parties to return to dialogue?
"Actually, at this moment, there are efforts, rather than true initiatives. But it's becoming evident that the United States and Israel are employing all available instruments of pressure to ply Abu Mazen to their will. They threaten him in every way possible, telling him that there won't be any assistance, any economical support if dialogue with Hamas resumes".
Israel's military offensives in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip certainly won't boost Abu Mazen's prestige.
"But that's of no concern at all to Israel. Israel is bent on weakening any Palestinian interlocutor. Their aim is the destruction of the Palestinian National Authority. The Israelis are talking openly about an Egyptian and a Jordanian option, meaning that the Palestinians, according to them, should be placed under Egyptian authority for one part (the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip) and for the other under Jordanian (Palestinians of the West Bank), but without returning the territories in which they reside and which Israel wants for itself, with their water resources and all the rest. It's becoming ever more clear that Israel hasn't changed at all: it has remained what it was in 1948".
At Sharm el-Sheikh Ehud Olmert said he intends to propose the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners affiliated with Fatah.
"Yes, but in the meantime he arrests that number and more within a few days and then, why only prisoners affiliated with Fatah? To deepen the divide between the Palestinians?".
Do we have any substantial information about when and to which extent the Israeli government will hand over to Salam al-Fayyad the withheld Palestinian tax revenues ?
"Nothing substantial has been declared, the only thing we know for sure is that they won't give back the entire sum, which amounts to 800 million dollars, and that whatever amount they're willing to give back, they will hand it out in instalments to the tune of one hundred million, but as of yet we don't know starting from when".
Might Tony Blair's appointment as Quartet envoy be of some use ?
"His appointment won't make any difference. I would go so far as to say that it's useless. He has always worked for George W. Bush. In his previous career as British Prime Minister, he didn't achieve anything. Now, as envoy of the Quartet, he's simply become an employee of Bush. What could he possibly achieve? He hasn't been appointed to solve basic problems that are on the table, those regarding the final solution of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. He has been appointed to reform the Palestinian Authority's organs. It's the same old game: keep running around in circles so as not to touch and tackle the real issues".
Last February you said the Palestinian security services were, in reality, militias who would have to be downsized under the authority of an independent Ministry of Interiors. What's your take on the situation right now ?
"The situation has never been worse. We have a militia controlling the West Bank and another one who controls the Gaza Strip".
How would you define what happened in the Gaza Strip: a coup d'état, a military coup, a cleaning-out operation ?
"Hamas made mistakes, violated the law, repeated mistakes that had already been made by Fatah".
Did Abu Mazen take the right decision when he decided to disband the government of national unity?
"Abu Mazen had the right to do what he did, but I have my doubts whether the decision to disband the government was the right thing to do, because there is no alternative to national unity. However, the biggest mistake in evaluating the situation was committed by the Palestinian leadership as a whole during the months of the Palestinian national unity government. In fact, we didn't realize, when the government was constituted, how weak, how absent Europe was in the face of Israel and the United States".
Would early Palestinian elections help redress the situation, and when could they take place?
"May be next January. On condition however, that there is consensus, that it's approved by all the groups. Then, there's the other issue, that results must be accepted by everybody. There mustn't be any doubts about that. They must be accepted on the international level, as well. The democratic choices of the Palestinians must not be rejected".
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