Abbas mired in struggle

A line from Mahmoud Abbas's inauguration speech in January has proven prescient: "The way forward will not be easy."

Mr. Abbas has succeeded in forging a crucial cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants. In March and April, there have been no Israeli fatalities, the longest such stretch since the intifada started in 2000. During the same period, six Palestinians were killed, says the Israeli human rights group Btselem.

Abbas is credited with maintaining a protracted calm in this volatile region as well as improving Palestinians' image abroad. But as he marked the 100th day of his presidential term Sunday, even many of Abbas's supporters conceded that he has failed on several key fronts.

Unable to persuade Israel to ease its strictures on movement in the West Bank, he has brought little improvement to Palestinian daily life, despite high hopes from voters who overwhelmingly endorsed him three months ago.

"I cannot say he has been successful," says Mamduh Nofal, a columnist for the al-Ayam newspaper who supports Abbas. "He has faced a lot of obstacles and problems, chief among them [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon, who has not given him anything."

Israel has largely kept its checkpoints in place, citing continued threats of Palestinian attacks. Palestinians expected a rapid transfer of five West Bank cities to their control after the Feb. 8 summit meeting between Mr. Sharon and Abbas in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt at which the cease-fire was announced.

After extended negotiations, Jericho and Tulkarem were transferred in March, but not their environs. Israel then suspended the transfer of other West Bank cities, saying Palestinian forces had not met their security obligations, including disarming fugitives in Jericho and Tulkarem, something Abbas disputes.

Also during Abbas's brief tenure, Israel released 500 Palestinian prisoners following the Egypt summit, but there has been scant progress on further releases demanded by the Palestinians.

The Israeli government has given Abbas little credit for the cease-fire, stressing instead that it is being used by militant groups to rebuild their capabilities. It has repeatedly criticized Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, for not dismantling the militias.

"Our ongoing and adamant demand is that at the end of the day, Abu Mazen must face up to the terror and strip it of its weapons, not only because he has committed himself to this in the road map [peace blueprint] but because by not doing so he is endangering the Palestinian Authority," Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim was quoted as saying last week by Israel's Y-net news agency. "Abu Mazen's time is running out."

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