PA democracy?

Natan Sharansky resigned as a Minister in PM Sharon's Government this week
because he is against the disengagement plan. He argues that the PA must be
a functioning democracy before they will be ready to actually make peace
with us, and so to carry out the disengagement from Gaza before the PA has
reached that level is self-defeating. He also argues that a unilateral
withdrawal without some kind of concessions from the other side is
dangerous, giving them the impression that they can get something for
nothing. This is the argument used by Sharon's right-wing Likud opponents,
and is not very new, and one wonders why if he believes this he did not
resign sooner. There is another cynical view that once he resigns he can
earn large sums as a lecturer in the US, given the popularity of his book
about democracy with Pres. Bush and his Administration.
The PA has shown very little signs of improving under Pres. Abbas. Although
Abbas initially said that he would take guns away from the street gangs that
are controlling the PA, now he has announced that his reorganized security
services will not allow any one to carry arms on the streets, although they
can keep them at home and the security forces will not enter people's homes
to search for guns. Even this minimal requirement for law and order has
been criticized by the terrorist groups, including Hamas and al Aksa
Brigades.
In the past few days several villas being built on the beachfront in Gaza
were bulldozed not by the IDF but by PA forces on Abbas' orders,
because they were built illegally on public land. This kind of corruption
has been routine in the PA, and this is the first time that Abbas is seen
to be dealing with it. Several of Yasir Arafat's former cronies have been
removed from their positions because of corruption and transferred to other
positions, one as Ambassador to Jordan and one to the UN.
Israel has sent the IDF and Israeli security forces into PA territory
several times to arrest wanted terrorists who are involved in planning
suicide bombings. One such was a senior Islamic Jihad member, Shafiq Abd
al-Ghani, who was killed in a shoot-out near the village of Saida, north of
Tul Karm. He was wanted for involvement in planning the Stage nightclub
bombing in Tel Aviv a few weeks ago when 5 Israelis were killed. Staff
Sergeant Dan Talasnikov, 20, of Moshav Nir Galim was also killed and another
IDF soldier was wounded in the clash yesterday between paratroop commandos
and wanted Islamic Jihad operatives. Pres. Abbas termed the incursion
"Israeli aggression," but Israel criticized the PA for not doing anything to
curb terrorist activity.
This week there will be the first PA municipal elections in 15 years.
Fatah, the leading party, is expected to lose significantly because of the
absence of Arafat. Abbas does not command his support, and Fatah is split
between the old corrupt Fatah and the "young guard." This is likely to
result in a victory for Hamas, which is seen as a major problem by Israel.
How can Abbas bring peace or democracy if he is incapable of acting against
a strengthened Hamas?