Arafat less and less popular
With his authority challenged in Gaza, the historic leader is accused of corruption and foot-dragging.
Jerusalem (AsiaNews) Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat recalled ousted Gaza security chief Abdel Razek Majaide, whom he had replaced last week with his cousin Moussa Arafat. Arafat was forced to back down in the face of widespread protests by Gaza residents opposed to the appointment of a man known for being corrupt and ruthless. Although Majaide was reappointed, Arafat did not recall his relative who remains in Gaza working in the security area.
Last Sunday, in an open challenge to the Palestinian president in Ramallah, dozens of armed Palestinians went from camp to camp in Gaza shouting "No to Moussa Arafat, yes to reforms!" This morning hundreds of Arafat supporters marched through Gaza chanting "we will protect you by our soul and our blood, our hero Abu Amr [Arafat's nom de guerre Editor's Note]!"
Recent clashes in Gaza have brought to the fore the deep divisions between the Palestinian leader and the new government, i.e. the legally authority in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
In anticipation of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza various Palestinian factions are vying for control of the densely populated strip. In principle, power is vested in Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and the Palestinian Authority (PA) government. Yasser Arafat's intervention is thus an attempt to avoid being shut out of the Gaza administration, but in doing so he bypassed Qureia, who promptly resigned.
Qureia is held in high regard in Western diplomatic circles. He is trusted by the international community to reform the PA and eliminate corruption. Although Arafat refused to accept Qureia's resignation, the Prime Minister says his decision still stands.
The Gaza unrest is symptomatic of the decline of Yasser Arafat's authority among Palestinians. An increasing number of observers see in the historic leader someone corrupt who drags his feet, incapable of setting a new agenda for the long suffering Palestinian people.
In a public opinion survey published in December 2003 Arafat's popularity dropped to 25%, its lowest point ever (a year earlier, it stood at 50%). Qureia's support stood at 39% whilst 45% of respondents believed that he could improve the situation for the Palestinians.
Even then eight out of ten Palestinians (81%) believed that corruption was deeply engrained in PA institutions. Almost nine out ten (89%) wanted the PA to be reformed with help from both within and without.
The survey was conducted in December by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research based in Ramallah. Face-to-face interviews were held with 1319 Palestinians in 120 locations in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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