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Physician to oppose Arafat in elections, opposes suicide terror
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SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, August 12, 2002
AMMAN Ñ Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat faces a French
national in planned presidential elections.
Hussam Nazal, a Palestinian physician who has lived in France since age
15, has announced his candidacy for Palestinian president. Nazal, 41, has
called for the establishment of a democratic state governed by a
constitution and blamed the PA for the current insurgency war against
Israel.
"The PA has not fulfilled the economic needs of the people, nor does it
understand the composition of the Palestinians," Nazal said. "I will ask for
a grace period to give Israel the chance to prove Israel's intentions toward
the Palestinians. If I do not succeed, I will quit."
So far, Nazal, born in the West Bank city of Jenin, has not campaigned
in PA areas but has asked for a meeting with Arafat. He has also been
recruiting supporters in neighboring Jordan.
Nazal said he will arrive in the West Bank at a later date and expressed
confidence that he would beat Arafat in any election. In meetings and
interviews in Jordan, Nazal expressed his opposition to Palestinian suicide
attacks.
"Whether these operations are called suicide or martyrdom, the result is
the same," Nazal said. "It is death, stemming from a collective depression
that makes the person kill himself regardless of the results."
Nazal said he supports normalized relations with Israel but added that
the
Jewish state must first agree to further concessions. He did not elaborate.
In Ramallah, Fatah and Hamas continued efforts to agree on strategy
toward Israel. Palestinian sources said Hamas is considering a Fatah
proposal for a halt to Palestinian suicide attack in Israel while joining
the ruling Palestinian party in attacking Israeli military and civilian
targets in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
So far, the sources said, Hamas has not agreed to the Fatah proposal.
The proposal also calls for cooperation on political issues, including
challenging the Arafat regime, in what could become an alternative
leadership.
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