Abbas holding Palestinians hostage with Western help, Fatah opposition figure says - exclusive

The Jerusalem Post is bringing you exclusive insights from within the Palestinian political landscape, highlighting a significant internal critique of the current leadership and its international backing. Samer Sinijlawi, a prominent Fatah figure and president of the Jerusalem Development Fund, has voiced strong dissatisfaction with the West's continued support for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

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I don't have any hard feelings towards Israelis, none. I have lots of hard feelings towards the West that keeps seeing us (Palestinians) as not 100% human beings who deserve democracy and internal human rights, and keeps endorsing and embracing a leader who has been proving that he is a burden on his people for years.

Sinijlawi argues that this Western endorsement effectively keeps the Palestinian people "hostage," lamenting that international powers fail to recognize Palestinians as fully deserving of democracy and human rights. He points to Abbas's 21-year tenure as a burden on his people, a sentiment echoed by many Palestinians who feel disenfranchised by the prolonged leadership. This exclusive interview, conducted after Sinijlawi's visit to Britain where he engaged with Jewish and Zionist groups, reveals a nuanced perspective shaped by personal experience and a desire for ideological evolution within Palestinian society.

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this conflict now is not an Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is a conflict between the moderates on both sides against the radicals.

His time in Israeli detention, where he learned Hebrew and gained an understanding of the Israeli perspective, has led him to view the conflict not as a simple Israeli-Palestinian struggle, but as a battle between moderates on both sides against extremists. Sinijlawi, who identifies as a mainstream Palestinian politician and a voice of opposition within Fatah, is advocating for a new Palestinian Liberal Democratic Party. He believes this movement, which has already seen success in local elections, can offer a path toward prosperity by embracing democracy and respecting Palestinian rights, including the right to political participation. This call for reform and direct dialogue with Israel represents a significant departure from the status quo and offers a glimpse into potential future directions for Palestinian politics, a perspective often overshadowed by the dominant narratives.

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Moderate sometimes means a responsibility towards everybody, because if I have a moderate, pragmatic plan that will work, it will benefit even the Palestinian who does not believe in it. So I am a mainstream Palestinian politician. All my life, I have been a Fatah activist. I am now the voice of opposition.