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Abbas:
I Am a Hero. I Said No to Obama
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If in the past Abbas was afraid
of Hamas's response to the signing of a peace deal with Israel, it is now
clear that he also has good reason to fear the reaction of top Fatah
officials to any movement he makes concerning the peace process.
These rallies [Abbas asks for]
are intended not only to send a message to Obama and Kerry, but also to
Abbas's rivals in Fatah.
Even before Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas left
Washington on his way back to Ramallah, Palestinian Authority [PA]
officials rushed to announce
that their president's talks with President Barack Obama over the future
of the peace process were "unsuccessful."
The officials said that Abbas rejected most of the proposals made by
Obama during their meeting at the White House, including the idea of
recognizing Israel as a Jewish state and maintaining an Israeli military
presence in the Jordan Valley. Abbas, according to the officials, also
dismissed as "immature" Obama's proposal concerning the status
of Jerusalem because it did not call for a full Israeli withdrawal from
the eastern part of the city.
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US President
Barack Obama and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at a
White House press conference on March 17, 2014. (Image source: White
House video).
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Abbas's rejection of the U.S. proposals for a "framework
agreement" with Israel did not come as surprise.
Over the past few months, Abbas and his top aides and negotiators have
repeatedly voiced their strong opposition to these proposals, with some
accusing the US Administration of endorsing the Israeli stance and
failing to serve as a honest broker in the conflict.
Before heading to Washington, Abbas instructed the PA to organize
public rallies in the West Bank in his support.
PA employees and schoolchildren were sent into the streets to chant
slogans in support of Abbas, urging him not to succumb to U.S. pressure.
The rallies were intended to send a message to President Obama and
Secretary of State John Kerry that the Palestinian public is strongly
opposed to any concessions to Israel.
Upon Abbas' return to Ramalllah, the Palestinian Authority once again
organized rallies in support of him. On March 20 hundreds of PA employees
and schoolchildren were sent to welcome Abbas at his presidential office
and thank him for resisting U.S. pressure.
Bassam Zakarneh, chairman of the Palestinian Public Employees' Union, said
that the rallies were aimed at thanking Abbas for resisting
"pressure and conspiracies and upholding Palestinian rights."
The pro-Abbas rallies have drawn criticism from some Palestinians, who
said they
seemed reminiscent of demonstrations organized by dictators and their
security agencies throughout the Arab world.
"These rallies are not real," complained West Bank
university professor Abdel Sattar Qassem. "They are similar to what
Arab intelligence agencies have been doing -- using blackmail and
intimidation to force their public servants to show loyalty for the
ruler."
Abbas is now hoping to turn himself into a hero by telling his people
that he had the guts to say no to Obama and Kerry during his visit to
Washington.
Abbas is badly in need of public support, especially in light of increased
tensions inside his ruling Fatah faction. In the past few days, these
tensions have erupted into an all-out confrontation between Abbas and
ousted Fatah Central Committee member Mohamed Dahlan.
Backed by some Gulf countries, Dahlan, a former commander of the PA
security forces in the Gaza Strip, is now waging a public campaign to
overthrow Abbas on charges of corruption and abuse of power. Abbas has
retorted by accusing Dahlan of involvement in the death of Yasser Arafat
and six Fatah leaders in the Gaza Strip.
"This is a disgraceful war between Abbas and Dahlan," wrote Palestinian editor
Abdel Bari Atwan. "We feel ashamed as we follow the exchange of
allegations between the two men, who are accusing each other of theft,
murder and collaboration with Israel. The Palestinians have become a joke
in the eyes of many Arab brothers."
Abbas's rejection of the U.S. proposals is also attributed to the
severe crisis within Fatah.
If in the past Abbas was afraid of Hamas's response to the signing of
a peace agreement with Israel, it is now clear that he also has good
reason to fear the reaction of top Fatah officials to any move he makes
concerning the peace process.
All Abbas can do for now is continue to ask his public servants and
schoolchildren to take to the streets and chant slogans in his support.
These rallies are intended to send a message not only to Obama and Kerry,
but also to Abbas's rivals in Fatah.
Iran:
Woman Sentenced to Stoning, Pardoned
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Ms. Ashtiani's lawyer, Houtan
Kian, was subjected to torture, such as being repeatedly burned with
cigarettes on his genitals, until he made a televised confession. He was
sentenced to 11 years in prison along with being barred from practicing
law for five years.
Ayatollah Larijani, Head of Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran,
announced on March 18, 2014 that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani has been
pardoned. Ashtiani was sentenced to death by stoning in 2006, having been
convicted of "illicit sexual relations" and "complicity in
the murder of her husband" -- a decision that sparked international
outrage from human rights groups and celebrities alike.
Ayatollah Larijani told Fars News Agency that "Ms. Ashtiani's
case was the source of four months of widespread attacks against the
regime... this individual was sentenced to death for murder but the
international groups began a controversial campaign over it.... we did
not pay much attention to those efforts.... we are letting her out simply
for good behavior."
Ms. Ashtiani was the subject of one of the largest international
campaigns initiated by International Committee Against Executions and
International Committee Against Stoning by their founder, Mina Ahadi, who
was contacted by Ms. Ashtiani's son, Sajjad Ghaderzadeh.
"I initially received a phone call in 2006 from a man asking for
help because his mother was going to be stoned to death in Iran. In 2010
I received yet another frantic call from Sakineh's son, who informed me
that his mother was going to be stoned in two days; that is when we
started campaigning very strongly for her all around the globe,"
said Ahadi in a telephone interview from Germany.
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Sakineh Ashtiani
and her son Sajjad Ghaderzadeh. (Image source: PressTV video still)
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In October 2010, Ms. Ashtiani's son, along with her lawyer, Mr. Houtan
Kian and two German reporters, who were seeking an interview with the
prisoner, were arrested by Iranian Intelligence agents. Mr. Houtan Kian
was accused of "acting against national security" and subjected
to tortures, such as being repeatedly burned with cigarettes on his
genitals, until he made a televised confession. He was sentenced to 11
years in prison along with being barred from practicing law for five
years. Sajjad Ghaderzadeh, who had also been subjected to torture, was
later released along with the journalists, who were charged for failing
to attain press permits and were detained for a few months inside one of
Iran's prisons. Mr. Houtan Kian was freed three years later on August 20,
2013.
"Although I have not heard from Sajjad yet," Ahadi said,
" I am sure he is simply overjoyed about his mother's pardon; he
went through horrible times for years trying to free his mother."
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