RAMALLAH, West Bank, 13 August 2007 — Disillusioned with the stalemate in the Palestinian arena caused by ongoing dispute between the rivals Fatah and Hamas, a group of Palestinian businessmen and academics has decided to establish a new political party to run in the next Palestinian election, a Palestinian source said yesterday.
According to Hani Al-Masri, spokesman for the new group, some 120 leading businessmen and academics gathered in Ramallah over the weekend to discuss the formation of the new movement, in the first meeting of its kind in recent years.
Palestinian Authority officials welcomed the initiative, saying Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had given his blessing to the organizers.
The group is led by the widely-respected billionaire Munib Al-Masri of Nablus, who is not affiliated to any Palestinian political faction. Other prominent businessmen who have joined the initiative include Mazin Sinokrot, Bassim Khoury, Mohammed Hirbawi, Maha Abu Shousheh and Said Kan’an.
“We want to offer the Palestinians something different and a new way,” said Masri. “We are actually trying to set up a political party which attracts Palestinian voters. We are aware of the fact that many Palestinians are disenchanted with Fatah and Hamas and would like to see a new party that can offer them a better future.”
Participants at the gathering decided to take gradual steps toward the formation of the new party. The first step calls for establishing a forum that would lay the foundations for the movement. At a later stage, the forum would declare itself the Association of Businessmen and Academics “Al-Muntada,” which will eventually transform itself into a party.
Masri, also a Palestinian columnist, said he and his associates were seeking to “test the waters” before making a final decision to run in elections. “In the past, we had many new parties that disappeared very quickly,” he said.
“First, we want to see what the reactions are. That’s why the forum will operate as a lobby only. If we succeed in selling the idea, we will declare ourselves as a political party.”
In another development, the governor of West Bank city of Bethlehem, Salah Al Ta’mari, yesterday said that the Israeli forces have increased the number of military checkpoints in the Bethlehem area. Ta’mari said that the Israeli military procedures are destroying the daily lives of residents of the governorate.
Meanwhile, the Hamas-affiliated Executive Force on Saturday confirmed that it has completed the establishment of a new naval police force, which would serve as a “navy” for the Hamas government in the Strip.
According to the announcement, the naval police force will be responsible for providing security on Gaza’s shores. Saber Khalifeh, spokesman for Hamas’ Executive Force, will reorganize the Palestinian Navy and fill in the gap created after Hamas’ takeover of the Strip by managing all the Palestinian Authority’s naval posts.
According to the Hamas government, the new naval arm comprises 150 fighters, and will begin its work on the Strip’s shores in the coming days. The naval force’s goal, according to the announcement, is to provide security to the Strip’s shores, prevent drug smuggling attempts, supervise fishermen and guarantee their personal safety and the safety of tourists and their property.
