Palestinian Politics After Arafat

Ghanem (Univ. of Haifa) argues that the Palestinian national movement became a failure following the Oslo Accords of 1993 for three reasons: internal fighting; lack of progress in achieving its declared goals, including the liberation of the occupied territories, the return of the refugees, and the establishment of a viable Palestinian state; and loss of external support. He presents an empirically informed, engaging narrative of the highly personal, corrupt rule of Yasser Arafat, the repeated but unsuccessful attempts to reform the PLO since the early 1970s, and the political struggles within Fatah and between Fatah and Hamas following the death of Arafat in 2004. Ghanem's insightful analysis is particularly valuable for understanding the conflict between Fatah and Hamas between 2004 and 2007... Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. -- ChoiceG.Tezcur, Loyola University Chicago, September 2010 "[Ghanem] presents an empirically informed, engaging narrative of the highly personal, corrupt rule of Yasser Arafat, the repeated but unsuccessful attempts to reform the PLO since the early 1970s, and the political struggles within Fatah and between Fatah and Hamas following the death of Arafat in 2004. Ghanem's insightful analysis is particularly valuable for understanding the conflict between Fatah and Hamas between 2004 and 2007... Recommended." -Choice, September 2010 "[This book] is a welcome addition to the literature on the Palestinian national movement, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and the Middle East peace process... It is highly recommended for readers seeking a better understanding of the history and current state of Palestinian politics." -H-Levant "A valuable source on Palestinian Politics in the post-Oslo accords period." -Emile Sahliyeh, University of North Texas "[Author]... Ghanem lays the blame for the failed [peace] process on both the Israelis and the Palestinians, but goes a step further, claiming that the Palestinian national movement has reached the end of its political and organizational road." -Bustan: The Middle East Book Review

As'ad Ghanem is Senior Lecturer in the School of Political Science, University of Haifa. He is author of The Palestinian Arab Minority in Israel: A Political Study and The Palestinian Regime: A "Partial Democracy."

<FMO>Contents<\> Preface Introduction: Theoretical Framework and Historical Background 1. The Israeli Post-Oslo Strategy: The Demographic Threat and the Shift from Conflict Resolution to Conflict Management 2. Israeli Public Attitudes toward Peace with the Palestinians: Which Peace? 3. Arafat's Heritage of Political Control 4. The Politics of Reform in the Palestinian National Authority 5. Palestinians in Search of Authoritative Leadership after Arafat 6. The Empowerment of Hamas and the Outbreak of Palestinian Infighting Conclusion: Is There a Way Out of the Crisis? Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index