Hamas is commiting the same mistake that Arafat made for over 45 years. The Palestinian cause must not be in the hands of Damascus or Teheran

The late Yaser Arafat thought he was very bright and smart when he was nothing but a clown and fool who thought he used Palestine as a a game, a game between himself and some of his sponsors at the time, the likes of Hafiz Al-Assad, Saddam Hussein and of course that lunatic of all times, Muamar Qaddafi. Arafat was proud of the fact he was playing the game of politics with the big boys, who were losers to begin with. The Palestinians lost a chance back in 1977 of being free from the Israeli Occupation because Arafat could not stand up to Assad and make his own independent decision and accept Jimmy Carter’s offer for a peaceful settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, a settlement much more generous than his stupid, ill advice, and reckless Oslo Accord.
Arafat for over 40 years used the Palestinian cause as a game, a chess game, and now Hamas is doing the same thing, using the Palestinian cause and all that it entails as a pawn in the hands of the guys sitting in Damascus, and in Teheran, repeating the same mistake Arafat committed for over 40 years.
The Palestinian cause and its leadership must be independent of any regional politics and must be independent of any personal aspirations for a wider role in regional politics. The Palestinian leadership have to put the Palestinian people and for the first time ahead of any thing else, ahead of any competing regional interests and games and must give liberation and ending the occupation the top and only priority.
Today the Washington Post came out with an editorial in support of Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party and against the “enemy of peace” Hamas. Also in the Post, Secretary Rice admits that Arafat stole the Palestinians blind, forgetting that Arafat was head of Fatah and Abbas is head of Fatah and nothing has changes.
More troubling is Ismail Henyia offer of “blood money” to settle the issue of those innocent people gunned down by Hamas and Fatah thugs and gangs, as if the “blood money” will bring back the lives of the three innocent children gunned down or the livers of the innocent that were lost. Equally troubling is the offer made of a long term “Hudna” truce with Israel that he offered today. The offer of the Hudna or truce tell us where his mind is, in time past as if he is trying to live the days of early Islam. The Israelis and the Palestinians do not want a long term hudna, they want a long term peace that is workable, give security and peace to both parties and people, one that opens the area for development and progress and more importantly, one that also address the issue of the Palestinians exile in a logical and fair way. This is what the people want Mr. Henyia, not you’re proposed long term “Hudna”.
The Post like Dr. Rice and of course with support from key people within Fatah and inner circles of President Abbas, the liked of Saeb Euraikat, Nabil Amr, Yaser Abed-Rabo made the issue one of competition between Fatah and Hamas and all forgot to put on the table with Israel and the US the main issue which is ending the Israeli Occupation. Hamas think that their Hudna and bedding the Syrians and the Iranians will end the Occupation and Fatah, after some 45 years of fleecing the people and total incompetence and failure of leadership and so called institutions, is only thinking of coming back in power to steal and rob the people blind and giving the people the left over crumbs believing this will quite the situation down and will allow Israel to continue to do what it does best in the Occupied Territories, stealing and confiscating property, building the Wall, expanding the settlements, continue targeted killings, jailing of innocent people and keeping and expanding the humiliating check point, while Fatah leadership enjoy the generous funding coming in from donors so that they can pick up where they left off.
Hamas is repeating the same mistake Arafat made that caused the people so many years of suffering one of the most cruel and criminal occupation, and Fatah is only thinking of how to get back the bank to steal from it, and both forgot the people and the Israeli Occupation.
Small minds do not make great leadership and it is proven fact that Fatah leadership for the last 45 years is made of small minds without any intellectual depth and without any clue of what is needed and now the situation for the Palestinians is even worse with Hamas coming to power with no clue of what needs to be done and speak as if time has stopped in Medina some 1,400 years ago. With both committing murder, it is time not for a new election that brings Fatah back, but for a courageous call by the people of Palestine calling on the UN to take over from this imbecile leadership.