Middle East, Arafat’s nephew’s solution: new leaders for the PLO, Hamas and Israel

Nasser al-Qudwa, nephew of Yasser Arafat, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and leading figure in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), is trying to chart a path to an end to the conflict in the Middle East. “After the war there will be a new Israeli government, a new Palestinian leadership and a new Hamas. Israel must withdraw, there cannot be a new occupation of the Strip, a reduction of its territory or a division in two. The siege must end. And there is a need for a new single Palestinian government in Gaza and the West Bank based on national consensus”, his words to Repubblica.

Certainly al-Qudwa does not back down on one point: “The only reasonable political solution is that of two states, the acceptance of national independence and self-determination of the Palestinians. The objective is elections as soon as the population returns to living normally. This will also be the way to rebuild the PLO, the only one that can guarantee the unity and representation of Palestinians. I am convinced that the solution is a different Hamas, with different personalities and political positions. Before the war, Hamas approved a document in which it accepted the State of Palestine within its 1967 borders. I have received assurances that this continues to be its position.”

And when asked if Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) could have a role, he responds: “The challenge of reconstruction is enormous. If necessary, yes, but without real power, more like an honorary, guarantee position. We need a new government team.” Al-Qudwa believes that “probably” the Palestinians could accept, to accompany the transition, a multinational Arab force in Gaza “with some guarantees”, that is, “that it is not a combat force, which has a mandate from the Arab summit or the Security Council, for a short period and with the main task of recovering the lands from the Israelis and returning them to the Palestinians.”