Ten days ago a fax was received from the Al-Aqsa Brigades in Jenin recommending that international observers of the Palestinian elections stay away. Two weeks ago a Nablus hotel owner where the observers intended to stay was threatened if he hosted them. Less than three weeks ago an Italian aide to a European parliamentary delegation was kidnapped in the Gaza Strip and released hours later.
While such threats may put off most people from doing their jobs, the international election observers - some of whom arrived as early as November and many more who will arrive this weekend - are staying put and their observers continue to work in all 16 electorate districts.
The key, said Michael Murphy, country director of the observer mission of the US-based National Democratic Institute, is to know if the threat is real. In an accusing interview with The Jerusalem Post, Murphy suggested that leaders in the Palestinian Authority are behind the recent chaos in the territories.
"All the threats and kidnappings have been of a political nature," said Murphy. "It appears that they are saying that international elections observers are not wanted here. But we want to understand beyond that." Murphy said that the threats might be aimed to "stop the elections" from taking place. "But for the most part people are looking for jobs, security, or to get even with someone." Like the other international missions, NDI, which is working together with the Carter Institute, is not deterred by the threats.
"We will not play into the hands of those trying to stop the elections," said Murphy accusingly. "If that's the intent we are not going to subscribe it…There are always people who oppose that they are going to lose power that they have grown accustomed to. The democratic process means you have to be accountable. The greatest resistance comes from those who have profited from the current regime. They don't want elections they want appointments. So outside of ballot box stuffing people use intimidation. Our observer missions are used to that."
Michael Murphy suggests that a great deal of the violence and chaos in the Palestine Authority and Gaza is being deliberately manufacturered by the leadership of the current Palestinian Authority. It’s not a new suggestion but it is a new one for the western media that continues to portray the Palestine Authority as a benign leadership being tested by forces hostile to peace and security. But I won’t hold my breathe waiting for Mitch Potter, the Toronto Star’s mid-east pundit to start reporting that.
And while it is laudable that the international election observers are staying put, what I want to know is whether former US President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright are still willing to come to Ramallah during the election?
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