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After Arafat, Palestinians Hope for Rule of Law

(Christian Science Monitor)Ilene R. Prusher - While Arafat was seen as the champion of Palestinian nationalism, he also came to represent corruption and dashed hopes for democracy. His passing has many Palestinians expecting a better caliber of leadership. "What we disagree with is the method of government in which personality supersedes the law and isn't beholden to it," says Jaber Asfour, a senior Fatah leader in the West Bank. But the bottom line, he says, is that "the young guards want to have a bigger share of the cake." "After Arafat, we are free. We can impose on the next Palestinian leader what we want, rather than having it imposed on us," says Sattam Mubarak, a student at Bir Zeit University. "We know that Israelis have internal freedom in their society, to move around as they wish and say what they like, and we want those freedoms, too."
2004-11-18 00:00:00
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