New Palestinian Leader Confronts Familiar Obstacles in Restarting Peace Talks

Interview with Ali Abunimah, writer and activist, conducted by Scott Harris

After the Jan. 9 election of Mahmoud Abbas to succeed the late Yasir Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority, there was renewed hope among many Western observers for a revival of the long stalled Middle East peace talks. But shortly after Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was sworn into office, those hopes were dashed. An attack by Palestinian militants on a Gaza checkpoint, killing six Israeli civilians on Jan. 13 prompted Israeli Prime Minister Arial Sharon to suspend all contacts with Abbas and his government.

In the face of Israeli threats to stage a large retaliatory raid into northern Gaza to stop rocket and mortar attacks there against Israelis, Abbas has ordered his security force to crack down on armed Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. While Abbas has publicly characterized assaults against Israel as "counterproductive," many Palestinians frustrated with decades of occupation support the militant fighters and their strikes, which include suicide bombings.

The renewed tension comes as Sharon's government prepares to dismantle Israeli settlements in Gaza this summer. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with writer and activist Ali Abunimah, who assesses the chances for peace following the election of Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian Authority president.

Writer and activist Ali Abunimah is a founder of the electronic intifada website www.electronicintifada.net

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