7 - 13 June 2001
Issue No.537
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 7 - 13 June 2001 Issue No.537 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Is this the end?
On Saturday Ariel Sharon seemed on the verge of keeping his promise to end the Intifada in 100 days when Yasser Arafat declared an immediate unilateral cease-fire. Since the flare-up of the Intifada the Palestinian leader had insisted he could not push a button and put an end to the revolt. Yet by Sunday morning an Israeli daily was already referring to "the last Saturday" to celebrate the death of the Intifada.
Is the Intifada over, though? Is the retreat merely a tactic? Will the move to "end violence" create inter-Palestinian strife?
Arafat was clearly acting out of a sense of his own weakness, having realised the importance of Arab support -- which cannot increase in the absence of a unified Arab position. Yet the Intifada's success will depend most on the creation of a democratic framework capable of forging a collective leadership, rather than giving all decision-making powers to a few individuals who may not represent the people.
Arafat's declaration of a "cease-fire" cannot sensibly be considered the end. Perhaps it is a necessary step toward devising a framework within which to revitalise the resistance. The challenges facing the leadership today are daunting: they range from preventing inter-Palestinian conflict and exercising pressure on Sharon to making America realise the dire consequences of the role it is playing in the conflict.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is a Palestinian political analyst.
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