A new INSS report provides an initial examination of the recent Fatah convention and elections, which ousted numerous old guard party members from the organization’s leadership ranks. Primarily, the article focuses on the effects of the conference on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas who sought to legitimize his term in office through support at the conference. While some Fatah members attempted to instill fear of Abbas by attempting to link him to the death of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Abbas succeeded in infusing younger blood into the party leadership, thereby diminishing the role of his political opponents. However, Abbas failed to stream-line the party platform; instead, the conference resulted in seemingly contradictory positions on the use of armed resistance to obtain an independent state. Notably, the report reads:
“In Palestinian eyes, there is no contradiction between these positions and the progress that has been made in negotiations over the years. Land exchanges in equal measures on the basis of 1967 borders are in line with the territorial principle of 1967 borders, and the solution of the refugee problem on the basis of Security Council Resolution 194 is in line with the formulation of the Arab peace initiative and allows for enough flexibility for an agreed-upon solution between the two sides. At the same time, many in Israel saw these positions as representing a hard line and unwillingness to show the flexibility necessary for an agreement.”
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
