Many Israelis believe their best hope lies in strengthening secular Palestinian leaders like President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. If life improves for Palestinians in the West Bank, the thinking goes, the territory can be used as a model for the Gazans who remain isolated under Hamas rule. The Israeli government freed 255 Palestinian prisoners as a good-will gesture last week, and Abbas said he will soon hold new elections to put the strategy to the test. Both Israelis and Palestinians worry that the measures will be seen as political theater. For a “West Bank First” strategy to work, concessions must be “quick and massive,” says Yaron Ezrahi, a political scientist at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University. But Olmert’s single-digit approval rating makes bold steps unlikely. Abbas and Fayyad are also struggling to hold their ground. Barghouti (with his intifada cred) may be the answer. A recent survey by Palestinian pollster Khalil Shikaki shows him beating Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a head-to-head race by 24 points. Miri Eisen, a spokesperson for Olmert, says Barghouti’s freedom “is not on the table now,” but acknowledges that the issue comes up regularly at high-level meetings. Barghouti’s wife, Fadwa, is not thrilled by the praise for her husband from Israeli officials. “The more they say they want to strengthen Fatah, the more the people look down on Fatah,” she told NEWSWEEK. That, of course, is one of the problems that brought Hamas to power in the first place.
