They have to say 'Uncle'

On November 10, Palestinian Prime Minister Esmail Haniya addressed a crowd of worshippers during Friday prayer saying that he will not head the cabinet of Palestinian unity because Western powers - in reference mainly to the US - do not want him in power.

He also said that when faced with choosing between welfare of the Palestinians, and his government post, he certainly preferred the livelihood of the Palestinians. This is the wisest statement made by Haniya since he came to office in early 2006.

Coinciding with Haniya's statements were reports from Palestine saying that Hamas and Fatah have agreed to form a unity cabinet on condition that Israel lifts the siege on the Palestinians, refrains from its atrocities in Gaza and releases the 34 arrested deputies and ministers from Hamas.

This agreement was reached with the blessing of Khalid Al Meshaal through the mediation of Egypt, Syria and moderate Palestinians such as Mustapha Al Barghouti. Israel, however, says that releasing the members of Hamas is conditional upon the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian militants on June 25.

Hamas faces the challenge of relinquishing all of its bargaining cards, including the prime ministership and Shalit, if it wants to secure the release of its 34 members from Israeli jail.

Its leadership has conditioned that the new prime minister should be a well-known leader in Hamas but President Mahmoud Abbas has objected, demanding a more neutral or independent candidate. Hamas has put forward four candidates for the post, without nominating Haniya. They are:

1) Dr Mohammad Shubayr, the ex-president of the Islamic University in Gaza. Sources in Palestinian confirm that he is the most suitable candidate, but to date. According to the London-based Al Hayat, he has expressed to friends his refusal of the post for "personal reasons".

2) Dr Zaher Kuhayl is a young, British-educated academic who stands the highest chance if Dr Shubayr insists on declining the post.

3) Khalid Al Hindi, a ranking member of Hamas who is also secretary of the Board of Trustees at the Islamic University in Gaza.

4) Dr Bassem Na'im, the current minister of health.

Will these men be able to achieve what Haniya did not? So long as they are members of Hamas, and allied to both Haniya and Meshaal, it is highly unlikely.

Unbearable

Weeks ago, I wrote saying that Haniya should resign because intentionally he has brought nothing but trouble to the Palestinians.

The world wanted him to speak the unbearable - to recognise Israel, something that Hamas will never do because its leaders were born to lead an armed struggle, not to run a state and do what it takes to bring wages and security to the Palestinians.

As a perfect example of what Hamas should or can do is a story that happened in December 1988 when George Shultz sent the late Yasser Arafat a message through Sweden, saying that he should renounce armed attacks against Israel, which the US considers "terrorism".

He actually wrote the exact text that he wanted Abu Ammar to say. Only this would open dialogue between the PLO and the White House. Arafat promised to say the magic words at a UN meeting in New York but the US refused to give him a visa, so the UN session was moved to Geneva - so he could attend.

Arafat then backed out, fearing that such a statement would discredit him in the eyes of the Palestinians, who were waging the first Intifada in the Occupied Territories.

Instead Arafat asked the renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish to write the UN speech for him, inserting what Shultz wanted to hear into lyrical prose, making the statements ambiguous - thinking, just like Haniya is doing today, that he can get away with it and please the US without upsetting the Palestinians.

Shultz told President Ronald Reagan: "In one place Arafat was saying "Unc ... Unc ... and in another "cle ... cle ... cle ... He has to cry Uncle!"

Unacceptable

The US told Arafat that the changes were unacceptable. So furious was he that he called a press conference well after the middle of the night, and insisted on speaking English - a language he never mastered. He angrily said: "The executive committee of the PLO condemns individual, group and state tourism."

He then recognised his mistake, looked at the cameras and said: "I am sorry. I meant terrorism!" When he finished reading the words of George Shultz he turned around and shouted: "What more do you want me to do? Striptease?"

And that is what the Israelis - and Americans - want from the Palestinians today. They want Haniya, or whoever succeeds him as prime minister, to cry Uncle!

Sami Moubayed is a Syrian political analyst.