Bethlehem – Ma‘an – The former minister of information to the now-disbanded unity government, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, blamed what he called regional and international powers for the Palestinian internal conflict.
Barghouti told Ma‘an that the Palestinians succeeded in forming the unity government but that outside pressures "pushed the tension and the renewal of the intra-Palestinian clashes which ended, as we all know, with [the events] in the Gaza Strip last month."
When asked if Iran and the USA were at fault, Barghouti said that "these countries are using the Palestinians in achieving their own political agendas."
In a televised interview with Ma‘an News, the former minister said that intervention by other countries is the reason behind the collapse of the unity government. Barghouti believes that "there are powers within Fatah and Hamas that were working against the Mecca Agreement, and that these powers, on account of their outside support, acted against the government and frustrated it."
The Mecca Agreement was reached during a summit in Saudi Arabia, February 2007, whereby, under the auspices of Saudi King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz, Hamas and Fatah agreed on forming the unity government.
The former minister added that "this was the same as what Israeli Foreign Minister Livni did in order to continue the siege on the Palestinians and to boycott the unity government."
Regarding the events in the Gaza Strip, Barghouti said he was not surprised by what Hamas did: "they did that according to a previous decision they had taken, but everyone knows that the Palestinians are fighting for a vague authority that does not exist. The continuation of the division [of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank] will end in the collapse of the Palestinian Authority."
Not only the European Union, but "the world and the Arab countries disappointed the unity government and let it down. Nothing was done to lift the siege." Barghouti stated that, he finds "when it comes to understanding what has happened and how to address the situation, there are many things to be tackled and dealt with".
According to Barghouti, the Palestinian people are not divided into sectors or ideologies; the outside intervention is the main reason behind the division. On the other hand, he sees that corruption and factionalism have contributed to the deterioration of the morals of the Palestinians.
"Pessimism and accusations are mistakes made by the leaders, who lack true patriotic feeling", Barghouti continued, "outside interference should be rejected and refused on all levels".
Finally, Barghouti warned against the emigration of young Palestinians from the country. Also, he also questioned why Hamas chose to ignore the calls for early elections. Dr Barghouthi argued that elections should be held on proportional bases, not on a district system, as this is "the guarantee for democracy."