Here is a list and synopsis of the primary candidates seeking to replace Arafat. I have relied on Internet articles posted by the Associated Press to present this review.
I have also given (as objectively as I possibly can) my own assessment of each candidate in 3 categories.
X/Y/Z (0= No Chance In Hell - 10= Peace Is At Hand)
X = electability
Y = ability to reign in the chaos and form a stable government
Z = abilitiy to effectively interact with Israel.
Mahmoud Abbas, 69: interim Palestinian leader, head of the PLO, and expected to be nominated next week by the ruling Fatah party as the presidential candidate. Abbas, a former prime minister under Yasser Arafat, is a pragmatist who opposes violence. However, his views on a final peace deal with Israel are identical to those of Arafat: a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, and a fair settlement for Palestinian refugees. 6/5/7
Marwan Barghouti, 45: former Fatah leader in the West Bank, who is serving five consecutive life terms in an Israeli jail for his role in West Bank shooting attacks. Barghouti, according to polls the most popular Palestinian politician, is expected to run as an independent if Fatah nominates Abbas without holding a primary first. Barghouti seeks a Palestinian state alongside Israel, but also justifies attacks on Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank and Gaza as legitimate resistance to occupation. Israel has said it would not free Barghouti. 8/6/0
Mustafa Barghouti, 50: a physician and pro-democracy activist, who says he would represent the "silent majority" of Palestinians not affiliated with any political factions. Barghouti is a distant cousin of Marwan Barghouti. 5/3/8
Abdel Sattar Qassem, 56: a dissident and anti-corruption campaigner once jailed by Arafat for eight months. Qassem, a political science professor at An Najah University in the West Bank city of Nablus, is a hardliner who says Israel must recognize the "right of return" of some 4 million Palestinian refugees and their descendants to homes in what is now Israel before any peace deal is possible. Such a demand was a deal-breaker in previous peace talks. 3/5/2
Talal Sidr, 51: a former leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas in the West Bank city of Hebron. Sidr was one of more than 400 militants sent by Israel into a yearlong exile in southern Lebanon in 1992. In 1996, Sidr switched camps and joined Arafat's Cabinet. Sidr, considered a moderate, hopes to court the Islamic vote, since Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not fielding candidates. 7/6/4
Majda al-Batch, 46: a Palestinian journalist from Jerusalem, and the only woman who has expressed an interest in running. Al-Batch said she hopes to be a voice for women and the disadvantaged. She said she'd be spending the coming days trying to collect the required 5,000 signatures of support before making a final decision. 0/0/8
Monib al-Masri, 66: a billionaire industrialist from Nablus and a longtime friend of Arafat. Al-Masri, whose role model is Mahatma Gandhi, legendary Indian leader and advocate of nonviolence, believes a pragmatic businessman could just be what the Palestinians are looking for at a time of turmoil. 4/5/7
The dark side of this equation is that because of the large number of terrorists & Islamists totally opposed to anything less than Israel's complete annhilation, if whoever is elected DOES make a deal with Israel, they will be assassinated.
And no, I'm not forgetting Yitzchak Rabin, killed by a hard line Jew, nor have I forgotten the attempts made on Menachem Begin's life by one of his followers after the Camp David Accords, let alone Sadat's assassination by his own people, and the assassination of Lebanese President Moawad in a Syrian controlled part of Beirut. Ariel Sharon is as big a target among some Israeli's today as he is in the Muslim world.
All because they were willing to make unpopular sacrifices in the name of Peace.
-nt