Skip to main content

Abu Zaida calls on Abu Mazen to hold elections

Despite the gunshots fired at his car and threats on his life, Fatah official Sufian Abu Zaida continues to demand that democratic elections be held in the Palestinian Authority: “Nothing will stop me from expressing my views.”
Sufian Abu Zaida, Palestinian minister of prisoner affairs, speaks to the press near Hasharon prison after meeting Fatah's jailed leader Marwan Barghouti, close to Tel Aviv December 15, 2005. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas scrambled on Thursday to heal a split in his ruling Fatah party after young dissidents dealt him a serious blow less than six weeks before parliamentary elections. The rift in Fatah's ranks, which could boost the militant group Hamas in its electoral challenge to Abbas, came as Israe
Read in 

Sufian Abu Zaida, member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council and former Fatah minister of prisoner affairs, was not deterred by the 20 gunshots fired at his car on Nov. 19. Not only were the gunshots unsuccessful in silencing him, but they even galvanized Abu Zaida and increased his motivation. Three weeks have since passed and Abu Zaida, from every tree and rooftop, stubbornly continues to call on Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) to end his one-man regime over the West Bank and share his powers with others for the benefit of a more democratic regime. In Zaida’s opinion, the gunshots that were fired in the light of day were a violent response to an article he wrote about a month ago (one article out of many) that was publicized in most of the Palestinian news websites in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The article was titled, “The Era of the Rais.”

“The Rais now heads everything connected to the Palestinian nation,” wrote Abu Zaida, “He is chairman of the Palestinian Authority, president of Palestine, head of the Fatah movement and commander of the security forces. And due to the disruption of the activity of the Legislative Council, his presidential orders become law.” Abu Zaida contends that even the late PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat concentrated less power than Abu Mazen, and that all the institutions of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and of Fatah are neglected and worthless and do nothing to change the dangerous path adopted by the PA.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.