Hanna Seniora, the Palestinian editor who seeded a storm of controversy with his announcement Thursday that he would seek a seat in the Jerusalem City Council in the next elections, appears to be having second thoughts.
He told the English Sunday edition of his newspaper, the East Jerusalem Arabic daily Al-Fajr, that his decision to run was not final. He said his announcement was, in fact, intended to shock the Israeli and Palestinian communities and force them “to think.”
Seniora, 49, a leading intellectual and supporter of the Palestine Liberation Organization though not a member, said his announcement was not coordinated with the PLO.
It drew fierce criticism from pro-PLO elements. The East Jerusalem daily A-Shaab, which reflects the views of the radical wing of El Fatah, called Seniora’s plan naive and simplistic.
Al-Fajr published a article by Fayik Barakat, chairman of the Arab Chamber of Commerce in East Jerusalem, who accused Seniora of collaborating with the annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel and said his announcement was a “bad idea.”
TALKED ALSO OF KNESSET
Seniora said Thursday that he intended to organize a Palestinian list to run in the Jerusalem election, which is scheduled for September 1988. On Friday, Seniora went a step further, telling an interviewer that he might seek a Knesset seat in the future.
He said that was not to be ruled out “if the occupation is prolonged.” Seniora said he subscribed to the ideas of Dr. Sari Nusseibeh, a professor at Bir Zeit University in the West Bank, who has exhorted Palestinians to use their demographic edge in Israel’s democratic processes to achieve their political aim, which he said is “national liberation.”
Seniora said this is just a theory at present, but could become the blueprint for a pragmatic political challenge. Nusseibeh, however, has dissociated himself from Seniora’s initiative, calling it a “one-man show” that has not been sufficiently debated.
Nusseibeh told the Jerusalem Post Sunday that the plan could become realistic if two conditions were met. First is sponsorship of the PLO as part of a broader demand for political rights for Palestinians in the administered territories as a step toward the creation of a bi-national state.
Second, he said, is failure of the Middle East peace process. A stalemate could prompt a new Palestinian strategy whereby the PLO would be transformed into something like the African National Congress aspiring for equal rights under an Israeli administration.
SOME SUPPORT SENIORA
Seniora’s only serious Palestinian backing came from Mayor Elias Freij of Bethlehem, a moderate who has long urged Palestinian-Israeli cooperation.
The idea was welcomed by Israeli moderates, including Mayor Teddy Kollek of Jerusalem, who called Seniora’s announcement a welcome development. Minister of Immigration and Absorption Yaacov Tsur, a Labor Party dove, also saw merit in Seniora’s plans. He said it pinpointed Israel’s future dilemma if it retains control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
“If we were to annex the territories we would have to choose between abandoning the Jewish character of the state or abandoning its democratic character,” Tsur said, adding “both are unacceptable to me.”
Israeli hardliners denounced Seniora’s possible candidacy. Hanan Porat of the Gush Emunim said the editor must be blocked because he is an avowed opponent of Jerusalem’s status as Israel’s capital.
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