Time for accountability

As the desire for change sweeps through the territories, Khaled Amayreh talks to former Palestinian information minister Nabil Amr about the future of the PA

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Nabil Amr

Nabil Amr, the former Palestinian information minister who survived an assassination attempt in Ramallah earlier this year, has strongly criticised "rampant misgovernment, lawlessness and lack of accountability" in the Palestinian Authority (PA), warning that Palestinians have to choose between genuine democracy based on the rule of law, or the demise of their national aspirations.

Amr returned this week to his home town of Dura, south-west of Hebron, after a lengthy recuperation period in Germany, where he had his right leg amputated.

It is widely believed that gunmen close to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat were implicated in shooting Amr. The PA police have so far failed to apprehend the perpetrators, a fact Amr says epitomises the incompetence and chaos permeating not only the Palestinian government, but the entire polity.

In an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly in Dura this week, he accused the PA of failing to deal "properly and seriously with the attempt on my life".

"If this had happened anywhere else in the world, the perpetrator would have been caught within 24 hours!" said Amr. "But in Ramallah, those who are supposed to uphold the law and ensure our security have rushed to hide and protect the would-be assassin. They are preserving him so that in future he can make attempts on the life of others."

He added: "Anyone who thinks that this is the best of all possible worlds does not know what he is talking about."

Amr harshly criticised Fatah, accusing the movement of lacking transparency and indulging in too much pointless rhetoric instead of facing reality.

"For many years, we espoused resonant slogans. We turned truth into falsehood, and falsehood into truth."

Nonetheless, Amr remains convinced that Fatah is still able to "continue the march" in cooperation with the other Palestinian national and Islamic forces, which he described as "our sons and brothers".

Amr said the Palestinian Authority needs a "thorough shakeup" encompassing all aspects of governance and administration. He specifically called for the unification of all security agencies into one apparatus under the command of the Palestinian government.

Asked if he was optimistic about reviving the peace process, now that George W Bush has been re-elected and Arafat, long accused by Israel of impeding peace efforts, is dead, Amr said much of the optimism was artificial and lacked substance.

"We may get an opportunity, but it is far from guaranteed. Peace in this part of the world, and probably elsewhere as well, depends to a very large extent on the Americans' willingness to defuse the powder keg, which in this case is the Israeli occupation of our homeland.

"If America is willing to exert meaningful pressure on Israel to meet the requirements of peace, then there will be peace. Otherwise, we will continue going round in the same vicious circle."

Amr described the Palestinian problem as the single most important root-cause of instability, tension and violence in the world today.

He insisted that Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), who has been chosen as Fatah's candidate in the upcoming election, must be responsible and answerable to democratic Palestinian institutions.

"Gone is the time when the leader could just ignore the democratic institutions. Abu Mazen will have a platform and a detailed programme of action which he must follow, and he will be accountable for everything he does."

Amr also attacked the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon, which he said was responsible for the collapse of the Abu Mazen government in 2003.

"The Israeli government could have helped by observing the ceasefire with the resistance groups. They could have helped by releasing Palestinian prisoners. But instead they chose to kill [the government], and that is exactly what happened."

Amr, who was received on his return to Dura by thousands of well-wishers and relatives, vowed to continue to speak up and defend what he believed was right.

"I assure you that Nabil whom they tried to kill will not change," he told hundreds of people who had gathered to welcome him.

Some observers in the occupied territories have suggested that if Abu Mazen is elected, he may pick Amr to form the next Palestinian cabinet. But Amr refused to answer questions on this subject, saying that the question of what position he might be invited to assume in a future government was of no importance.

"The important thing," he said, "is to get our feet on the right track."