Fakestinian politics Israeli/Palestinian Conflict Muhammad Ghneim

FAKESTINIAN POLITICS: MUHAMMAD GHNEIM POSITIONING TO BECOME DEFACTO RULER OF THE P.A……..

Picking up where
Arafat and Abbas left off
Muhammad Ghneim:
I’m as moderate as Abbas and Hamas
Generally speaking, a light (and very superficial) understanding of the political/religious ideologies that make up Palestinian Fakestinian politics, is more than sufficiant for the vast number of journalists who cover the ME beat. In fact, these same journalists (and think tank analysts) who should in fact know better, can be regularly counted on however, to find “moderation” in the least likely of places, and really mean it. No joke.
Yet reality has a habit of getting in the way, revealing that most journalists (and ME think tank analysts) know absolutely nothing about Arab politics, and what they pretend to know, is nothing more than fantasy, a product of their own imaginations and desires, to see things not as they are, but as they would like for them to be. That isn’t journalism by any definition, but it sure describes their reporting on the Arabs and Arab parties in the conflict.
Such superficial understandings helps to explain the media’s habit of describing the Holocaust denying and Munich Massacre fund raiser, Mahmoud Abbas as a “moderate”, but never seem to provide a proper context, that being: “moderate, but only when compared to Hamas”. There is no such thing as a moderate Fakestinian leader, it’s the mythical unicorn of Western journalism vis-a-vis the Arab-Israeli conflict.
They can’t stand the fact (polticians as well) that there is no single political leader within the Fakestinian movement that would be considered as a “moderate”, within the Western context and understanding of the word. And yet these very same people expect Israel to treat these leaders like Mahmoud Abbas as “moderates”, though Western politicians and media reps would never do so with similar types on their own home turf.

Now, let all that first sink in, then read Barry Ruben’s excellent article on the possible upcoming replacement of the Holocaust denying, (non-president) Mahmoud Abbas of the Fakestinian enterprise, Muhammad Ghneim. If you can’t think of this turd as anything but a cold blooded murdering tyrant, (read= hardliner) than you’re delusional. And remember folks, this is the guy that Abbas himself, wants to see replacing him. KGS

[Yet the hardline parts of the old guard have a large portion of power even among this group. If Ghaneim becomes leader of Fatah the PA and PLO, then you can forget about peace. Violent conflict becomes far more likely. Yet Ghaneim will not take over by a coup but because the current elite wants precisely the policy he represents. No one should say a word about the Palestinian issue, the peace process, or Israeli policy without analyzing these factors. Unfortunately, there isn’t at present a Palestinian partner for peace. Fortunately, there is a Palestinian partner for maintaining a relatively peaceful status quo. But if and when Ghaneim takes over, even this consolation might be gone.]

There’s nothing written about more often—and inaccurately—than the Palestinians, yet there is curiously little interest about the politics and ideology which governs their behavior. The same situation applies to the man s slated to become that movement’s next leader, only the third to hold that post in 50 years, after Yasir Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas.
The fact that an issue that is supposedly the most important, high-priority question in the Middle East, or even the world, is so little studied in depth has a simple answer. The contemporary narrative is that the Palestinian leadership yearns for a state, an end to the conflict, and peace, while the failure to achieve can be blamed on Israel. Yet even the slightest real examination shows the exact opposite is true.
This point is only underlined by looking at the current candidate for next leader, Muhammad Ghaneim, often known as Abu Mahir. Of all those who might credibly have been considered for the leadership of Fatah—and hence of the PLO and Palestinian Authority (PA)—he is probably the most hardline one.
Ironically, while media coverage of the 2009 Fatah Congress stressed the accession of young and more flexible leaders, the 72-year-old Ghaneim certainly does not fit that description.
Born in Jerusalem on August 29, 1937. His first political involvement was with the Muslim Brotherhood but he became a founding member of the Fatah movement in 1959 and active ever after, involved mainly in recruitment and organizational matters.
It is difficult to say to what extent Ghaneim’s early involvement with radical Islamism has shaped his thinking and whether it would make it easier for him to reconcile with the even more radical Hamas. Most Fatah and PLO people came out of more secular Arab nationalist or leftist movements. The only prominent leader who blended an Islamist background with nationalism was Arafat himself, and this certainly remained a prominent theme in his worldview during his entire career.
Ghaneim’s big career break came in 1968 when at the age of just 30 Arafat appointed him commander of Fatah’s forces in Jordan. And later that year, at age 31, he was put by Arafat on Fatah’s Central Committee in charge of the organization and recruitment department.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of these two jobs. At that time, Jordan was a Fatah stronghold and the group constituted a dual government alongside that of King Hussein, the country’s nominal ruler. Fatah guerrillas—and shortly after Arafat took over the whole PLO—had military bases from which they launched attacks on Israel across the Jordan River. Arafat must have had an extraordinarily high opinion of Ghaneim to appoint him to such a sensitive post.
Since so much of this task was involved with military matters, Ghaneim took a short officers’ course in China. On his return, in 1969, Arafat gave Ghaneim still a third chore, as is deputy for military issues. While the details aren’t clear this means Ghaneim must have played a central role in planning and implementing scores of guerrilla and terrorist attacks.
The other job was just as important. Ghaneim played a central role in selecting those to be given key jobs and just how much authority each had. Of course, everyone was far below Arafat in power but Ghaneim was about as essential as a second-tier figure could be. That job is also useful in making contacts with those who would continue to be top people in the movement in ensuing decades.
In 1970, Fatah overplayed its hand, was defeated by Jordan’s army, and had to flee to Lebanon. Ghaneim continued his organizational and military duties there. When the PLO and Fatah were forced out of Lebanon in 1982, Ghaneim accompanied Arafat to Tunis. From 1982 to mid-2009 he remained living there, though as early as July 2007 he may have begun visiting the PA-ruled territories in the West Bank.
Ghaneim didn’t return with Arafat in 1994 because, despite serving Arafat closely and loyally for 35 years, Ghaneim rejected the Oslo accords of 1993 as too moderate. Only continued armed struggle, total victory, and Israel’s destruction were worthy goals in his eyes.
While Arafat’s strategy sought these things covertly, the compromises involved in such a pretense were too much for Ghaneim, who openly criticized his old chief. He stayed in Tunisia despite numerous invitations from Arafat, starting in October 1994, to join the PA and instead insisted Arafat cease all negotiations with Israel.
Ghaneim moved closer to the popular Farouq Qaddumi, often referred to as the second most powerful man in Fatah and PLO or as the PLO’s “foreign minister.” Qaddumi rejected the Oslo agreement and kept up a close connection with Syria. Arafat undercut him but Qaddumi was so strong in the movement that he could never be fired altogether.
Finally, Ghaneim decided to return and support Mahmoud Abbas. While the details are not clear, this coincided with Abbas naming him as successor, which was certainly a great incentive for changing sides. Despite some analysts claiming that Ghaneim has moderated his positions, there is absolutely no evidence that he has done so.

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