Qassem withdraws from PA (Palestinian Authority Presidential) race

The Jerusalem Post ^ | 13 December 2004 | KHALED ABU TOAMEH

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Dec. 13, 2004 19:28 | Updated Dec. 13, 2004 20:01
Qassem withdraws from PA race By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

Nablus academic Abdel Sattar Qassem announced on Monday his decision to drop out of the race for the presidential election of the Palestinian Authority, saying he has reached the conclusion that the vote would not be fair and democratic.

In a letter to the PA's Central Election Committee, Qassem, who teaches political science at An-Najah University in Nablus, said there were several factors that raised questions about the integrity of the upcoming election.

He said one of the factors was the total bias in the Palestinian and Arab media in favor of Fatah's candidate, PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen).

"The media is working towards creating public opinion in support of Abu Mazen at the expense of other candidates," Qassem charged, noting that the short period of campaigning served the interests of Abbas, who is receiving wide coverage.

Qassem said that the Israeli travel restrictions prevented him and other candidates from moving around freely and entering the Gaza Strip. The restrictions, he added, do not apply to Abbas and his top aides, who are allowed to move from one place to another without obstacles.

In addition, all PA institutions have been mobilized to assist Abbas in his campaign, he said.

Qassem also accused the US, Israel and Egypt of meddling in Palestinian affairs by openly supporting Abbas. He noted that Israel had departed from standing regulations by allowing unlimited visits by Palestinian officials to jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti to persuade him to drop out of the race to improve Abbas's chances of winning.

Qassem accused the election committee of complicity in the inequality of the process by turning a blind eye to gross violations committed by Abbas and his staff.

"All these violations prove that the election won't be free and fair," he said in his letter. "The spirit of free and credible competition is absent under the current circumstances, and continuing to run in the election is just a waste of money and effort."

Qassem, 56, is the third person to pull out of the race for the January 9 election, leaving only seven candidates vying for the top post. The other two who quit are Barghouti and Hassan Khraisheh, Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Qassem's platform was based on two main points: the right of return for all refugees and the need to stamp out rampant corruption in the PA.

Announcing his decision to run three weeks ago, Qassem stressed that he did not belong to any political group.

However, he is known for his close ties with Islamic groups in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and his opposition to the Oslo Accords. He has often criticized the PA leadership for signing the Oslo Accords and compromising on the right of return for all refugees inside Israel.

In 1996, the PA security forces arrested him for criticizing the Oslo Accords and saying that they gave the Palestinians limited freedom and turned Arafat into Israel's policeman.

Three years later, Qassem spent six months in a Jericho prison for depicting Arafat in a book as a Machiavellian ruler who maintained control by pitting his underlings against one another. 　　 In 1997 he wrote an article in which he accused Arafat of being undemocratic. A few days later he was shot four times near his home. He is also the author of a book that is very critical of the PA's performance and that has been banned from Palestinian bookstores.

Qassem studied in the US, receiving a master's degree in political science from Kansas State University and a doctorate from the University of Missouri. In the early 80s he was dismissed from Jordan University in Amman for his repeated criticism of Arab governments.

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he has reached the conclusion that the vote would not be fair and democratic

You think? Arab and democracy are a contradiction in terms. Arab democracy has been an oxymoron ever since the Palestinians triggered the Lebanese civil war and the Christians lost control of Lebanon. Show me one Arab democracy with free and fair elections. Just one.

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He had to withdraw after a local Palestinian paper revealed that he had not killed as many Jews as he had claimed in his campaign literature. It's a huge scandal.

[SunkenCiv]

"Qassem also accused the US, Israel and Egypt of meddling in Palestinian affairs by openly supporting Abbas." Oh, of course. It must be the fault of those three nations, not due to the Arafat's Battlestar Corruptica.

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The Hidden Hand: Middle East Fears of Conspiracy by Daniel Pipes

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[Timmy]

Three years later, Qassem spent six months in a Jericho prison for depicting Arafat in a book as a Machiavellian ruler who maintained control by pitting his underlings against one another. 　　 In 1997 he wrote an article in which he accused Arafat of being undemocratic. A few days later he was shot four times near his home. He is also the author of a book that is very critical of the PA's performance and that has been banned from Palestinian bookstores.

Qassem studied in the US, receiving a master's degree in political science from Kansas State University and a doctorate from the University of Missouri. In the early 80s he was dismissed from Jordan University in Amman for his repeated criticism of Arab governments.

You gotta admire this guy. Except for the ridiculous "right of return," he sounds pretty revolutionary for that region. Pretty brave fellow, too. And, at Mizzou, he would probably qualify as a conservative . . .