Three Palestinians challenge Arafat for presidency
Palestine, Politics, 7/19/2002

So far, three Palestinian figures including the Palestinian National Authority President Yasser Arafat announced determination to nominate themselves for the presidential elections due to be held in January 2003.

The Palestinian Authority, however, has announced that legislative and presidential elections will be held in the Palestinian self- rule areas in January, just seven years from the first Palestinian legislative and presidential elections which took place in 1996.

Both Washington and Israel want a Palestinian authority which is able to "control" the security situation first. This means to prevent operations against Israel. Also both Israel and the US consider that Arafat, together with the Palestinian leadership, proved their inability to carry out this mission. Yet, on Wednesday, the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat announced he will nominate himself for the presidential elections despite the rejections he receives from Washington and Tel Aviv.

The other three candidates which confront Arafat who is 72 years old, are two of the Palestinians of the Diaspora and the third is an opposition to both the Palestinian authority and to Arafat.

Meantime, the media repeats names of unpopular persons and others who are not experienced in the political field.

University teacher Qasem Abdul Sattar, from Nablus announced nominating himself for these elections.

From the US, the Palestinian businessman Omar Karsou ( 42 year old) who came from Nablus announced his nomination. He stressed he represents a "reasonable number of Palestinian professionals and businessmen." Both Palestinian and Israeli sides said that Karsou met with the US Vice President Dick Cheney and his aides in Washington last week and that he is "linked to a project he calls Democracy in Palestine in order to found a clear legal and government system."

Previous Stories:
  'Quartet' Joint Statement   (7/18/2002)
  US administration admits disagreements with Arab and European countries on Arafat's future   (7/18/2002)
  Arafat: present events worse than apartheid; praises support of King Mohammed   (7/6/2002)
  New British minister calls for reforms in the Palestinian authority   (7/4/2002)
  Democracy, resistance, sole path for free, democratic Palestine, hawatmeh says   (5/30/2002)
  First Palestinian competitor for Arafat   (5/18/2002)
  Arafat: no elections before the end of the occupation   (5/18/2002)

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