MAHMOUD ABBAS is a different kind of Palestinian president. Unlike his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, who made a long-term strategy out of being a victim, Abbas has made it clear that he seeks to build a political culture of responsibility. He has repeatedly said (in both English and Arabic) that violence is counterproductive to Palestinian aspirations.
While Arafat saw the misery of Palestinian refugees as a tool to be exploited for political purposes, Abbas has now given two speeches in the last month, in Arabic, declaring that it is time that Palestinians built housing for the refugees and that the Palestinian cause is not served by keeping refugees in wretched conditions. Such statements provide a way to demystify the refugee issue as a calling card of Palestinian grievance and as an impediment to an eventual peace agreement.
Whereas Arafat's focus was on the "revolution," Abbas said recently that he should be judged on "reconstruction" -- whether he makes good on promises to build houses, schools and hospitals.
These are the things a Palestinian president should be doing, rather than posturing, pandering and seeking to manipulate at the expense of his own people. And on one level, at least, Abbas' approach seems to be working: His approval rating has remained consistently above 60% -- virtually double Arafat's rating during his last few years.
But Abbas -- who arrives in Washington this week for meetings with President Bush -- also faces immediate threats to his hold on power, especially from Hamas and other militant groups. Though he certainly must be much more decisive in confronting the challenge, it is also essential that the U.S. does more to help build his authority.
The U.S. could do three things quickly to help bolster Abbas' credibility before parliamentary elections scheduled for January. First, nothing would enhance Abbas' authority more than showing that his way is working and that Palestinians are going to work. Billions of dollars have been pledged to restore the Palestinian economy, but little has been delivered. The U.S. should spearhead the effort in the next 90 days to turn those pledges into a new reality of jobs, especially in the labor-intensive areas of housing and infrastructure construction. Why not send a U.S.-Palestinian delegation to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- both of which have pledged money for Palestinian housing -- and have it work out the immediate transfer of funds?
