An Open Letter to Abbas

Dear President Abbas,

It is the early morning hours of January 10th and in a few short hours your greatest "ally", President Bush, is slated to arrive. Given that you are surrounded by "yes" men who refuse to tell you what is happening here, and given that protests have been banned, please indulge me as I provide you with a glimpse of reality.

President Bush arrives today after what you have determined to be an "historic" event at Annapolis. Interestingly, it is also 3 years (plus a day) since your election in 2005. As someone who has watched you closely over the years, I have come to the conclusion that you desire to "be" president but don't desire to "do" the presidency. Your three years have been 3 of the worst years in Palestinian history since the nakba. Allow me to explain: I am not someone who believes that ANY PA President has the capability of doing anything more than being a good PR person. I know that you need a permit from a 19-year old Israeli soldier before you wish to leave Ramallah and I understand that you cannot set an economic agenda for Palestine because a 19 year-old Israeli soldier controls the flow of goods in and out of Palestine. But, you can continue to demand Palestinian rights and you most certainly can ensure that Palestinian dignity remains in tact as we resist this brutal colonial rule.

Given that you have been in office for 3 years, it is fitting that we go over your track record in office. Your first year in office was marked by an increased expansion in Israeli colonies in the West Bank and the Israeli evacuation of its colonies in the Gaza Strip. Your response? A murmured nothing. We waited for you to proclaim that the Gaza Strip was still occupied; we waited for you to denounce Israel's military assault on Gaza despite having "left" it; we waited for you to press the international community to open the Gaza Strip so that its 1.5 million residents would not have to live in an open-air prison and we waited to hear your plans to revitalize Gaza after 37 years of economic devastation caused by Israel's brutal control. (To be certain, we weren't asking you to throw in $30 million USD of your own wealth). Instead you were myopically focused on your party, Fatah (a party that has been on life support since the early 90s) and its winning the general elections so that you could sit back once again. Your acceptance of American funds during the election and your utter failure to host primary elections for Fatah were unforgiveable. And, each step of the way you continued to demand one thing: not an end to Israel's brutal denial of freedom but "a process". In 2006, stunned by the Hamas general election victory, you quickly realized that the fun was over. During 2006 rather than embracing "democracy" and accepting Hamas's victory, you flailed. Internal fighting ensued turning 2006 (and 2007) into two of the bloodiest years of internal Palestinian fighting. You supported the sanctions imposed on the PA (don't lie...) and relished in the fact that monies were now being channeled to your office (where they could be siphoned) rather than through PA structures. This is odd given that in 2003 you pressed the international community to create the post of an "empowered PM" (you being the first) taking away fictional powers from the President and placing them in your hands. Who would have known that 3 years later - in 2006 - you would demand that these same powers be placed in the Presidency so as to avoid Hamas spoiling your Oslo-fest? As internal fighting continued, your only response was to turn inwards: demand new elections to undo the 2006 elections rather than demand from the international community that the siege be lifted. You conveniently met with Olmert though you refused to meet with Hamas and somehow became convinced that the real enemy rests within rather than the enemy being Zionism and its failure to view us as equals.

In 2007, the trends of 2006 continued. This time, however, you lost Gaza. I know that you are secretly happy as it means that you no longer have to make the trek down there and you don't have to see the misery that Israel imposed on the place. I know you miss your lavish house but I'm sure you will expropriate more property in the West Bank (just as you did in Gaza) to build a larger house (either for yourself or for your corrupt sons). The constitution? Who cares about that - we have an enemy (ourselves) to fight. Throughout, you decried the killing of Israeli settlers and soldiers while turning a blind eye to the effects of Israel's rule. You failed to denounce the killing of Palestinians and Israel's ongoing land confiscation. You didn't even feign the slightest bit of interest in visiting the Wall. And rather than wag your fingers at the Palestinians telling them what NOT to do, you failed to support non-violent resistance to the occupation. In short, you sat back in the Muqata drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes handed to you (and lit for you) by your security guards.

There was, however, one "victory" in your eyes: Annapolis. For you, this was the culmination of years of effort - again not to see that freedom is granted to the Palestinians, but to ensure that there is once again "a process". And, like the previous, "process" I am sure that you will gain a lot financially from it. But maybe you seem have overlooked reality, so I am here to remind you: 96 Palestinians have been killed since that "historic" event; Israel announced its intention to expand the settlement on Jebel Abu Ghneim by an additional 307 colony housing units; 60 new units are slated for construction in East Jerusalem; 8 Palestinian homes have been demolished; Israel announced that it will add $250 million USD to the budget for the construction of 750 colony housing units; Olmert announced that Ma'ale Adumim will forever remain in Israel's hands and Barak has similarly announced that checkpoints will NOT be removed. In case you have forgotten, Israel continues to besiege the Gaza Strip, both invading the area and denying Palestinians the ability to import and export even the most basic goods. And yes, 64 Palestinians have died from the siege imposed there.

Will you raise these issues with President Bush? Will you ask President Bush why he refused to visit a refugee camp? Will you ask President Bush why he refuses to hear the Palestinian national anthem? Will you mention the word occupation? Will you even show President Bush a picture of the Wall - particularly in areas where it has prevented school children from going to school while Bush claims that "no child will be left behind?" Will you pliantly nod your head or proclaim that "we're not in Gaza" as Bush berates you for not doing more when it comes to the pathetic firecrackers being tossed from Gaza? Will you challenge Bush on yesterday's "green light" to Israel to militarily invade us or will you explain that no people around the world have quietly sat back to the denial of their freedom (including the Americans)? I fear that I know the answers to my questions and for this reason, Mr. Abbas, it is time for you resign. You have failed in your task of explaining to the world what occupation and dispossession really mean and instead have devastated the Palestinian cause. Resign for the sake of the nation.

Sincerely...