Can Abbas survive the crossfire?

During days that were supposed to be a prelude to a new era of Middle East peace, it appears that an all-out war is erupting between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement.

Caught in the middle and battling for his political survival, analysts say, is the moderate new prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.

Supporters of Mr. Abbas argue that recent Israeli airstrikes against Palestinian targets undermine his very credibility. But Israeli defenders say that Israel has no choice until Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) take steps to stop the attacks by militant groups like Hamas.

"Abbas ... has no legitimacy. Legitimacy derives from what he can bring to the people, and he has not brought them any change at all. There are just more [Israeli] checkpoints and more assassinations," says Qadura Fares, a Palestinian legislator. "If this continues, and [Abbas] is unable to deliver anything, I think he will resign," Mr. Fares says. "He is a man with self-respect."

Abbas's predicament is evoking little sympathy from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, if official accounts of Thursday's cabinet meeting offer any indication. Mr. Sharon termed him "a chick that has not grown its feathers yet" and said Abbas and his colleagues were "crybabies" for saying they did not yet have the powers to stop Palestinian attacks against Israeli targets.

While Israelis were still grappling with the shock of a Wednesday Jerusalem bus bombing by Hamas that killed 16 people and wounded 70 others, the army's Apache helicopters assaulted a Hamas target in Gaza Thursday for the fourth time in two days.

The strike killed six people in addition to a senior Hamas militant. A spokesman for the group said that the dead included Hamas fighter Yasser Taha, his wife, and their two small children.

On Tuesday, Israeli helicopters mounted a failed assassination attempt on Abdul Aziz Rantissi, one of the movement's prominent leaders, injuring him in the leg. The attack killed two people, wounded more than 30 others, and prompted Hamas to vow retaliation against Israeli civilians.

Sharon said the PA had told him it would need four months to get organized before it can take over security responsibilities. "We will not wait for a month, a week or even a day," he was quoted as telling the cabinet. "We will fight the terrorism ourselves."

Mr. Fares, the Palestinian legislator, says the demand that Abbas immediately confront militants is unrealistic not only because PA forces have been badly damaged during the two years of fighting, but more importantly because Abbas needs time to gain popularity and credibility. "The only thing that can give him the credibility is for him to be able to point towards hope and a better future," says Fares. "What the Israelis are doing to him is tying up his hands and legs and throwing him into the sea, while at the same time asking him not to get wet."

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