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KLMNO THE WORLD Chavez faces challenge fromthe left


Popular party leader seeks alternative to ‘confrontation and hate’


BY JUAN FORERO


barquisimeto, venezuela — The most popular politician in this tidy city plunges into the crowds, handing out small loans to small businesses and pledging to build new homes. He’s not President Hugo


Chavez, the best-known populist on the continent. His name is Henri Falcon, and as governor of the western state of Lara, he has sought to carve out space for what he calls moderate leftists seeking an alternative to Chavez. The objective is ambitious:


Win enough seats to give the party he helps lead, Fatherland for All, a viable future as a leftist movement without the dema- goguery and authoritarianism that critics say characterizes Chavez’s government. If themore traditional and conservative op- position also advances, Father- land for All could become the kingmaker in a new congress. Now in his 12th year in office,


the socialist president controls all but about 18 seats in the 165-member National Assembly, alongwith the courts, the elector- al board and the state oil compa- ny. But analysts here say Chavez’s foes can declare victory Sunday if they can stop Chavez’s allies from securing the two-thirdsneededto approve laws without opposition support. A positive outcome for Father-


land for All, which split with Chavez over his governing style, would be essential if Chavez’s griponthe levers ofpower is tobe loosened. Falcon, 49, who is not running


for congress but is the party’s most recognizable leader, said he is banking on support from vot- ers who dislike both Chavez and the traditional opposition. “We offer an option, a different


alternative that breaks with the polarization,” said Falcon, speak- ing in an office filled with paint- ings and sculptures of indepen- dence hero Simon Bolivar. “At least 95 or 98 percent of the country is crying for peace and justice. We are tired of the con- frontation and the hate that sepa- rate us.” Coming from an avowed left-


ist, Falcon’smessage has infuriat- ed Chavez and his United Social- ist Party, of which Falcon was once a member. Chavez has ac-


Clashes erupt over killing of Palestinian in East Jerusalem


Shot was fired by Israeli security guard posted to protect settlers


BY JOEL GREENBERG


jerusalem —An Israeli securi- ty guard posted to protect Jewish settlers killed a Palestinian on Wednesday in East Jerusalem, setting off street clashes between stone-throwing youths and riot police that reached the com- pound of the al-Aqsa mosque in the Old City. The violence drewattention to


JUAN FORERO/THE WASHINGTON POST


Henri Falcon, wearing his trademark baseball cap, visits a poor neighborhood near Barquisimeto, Venezuela, early one morning as part of a programcalledWakingUp WithHenri.


cusedFalcon,whomhemet inthe army, of joining opposition coup plotters in trying to oust him fromoffice. “He’s a traitor—let the people


from Lara know it,” Chavez said inMarch on hisweekly television show. “I knew it, maybe like Christ knew that Judas was the traitor.” Falcon’s strength comes from


his ability to attract not only Chavistas, as the president’s sup- porters are called, but also con- servative elements in Lara, in- cluding influential businessmen. That helped himwin themayor’s seat twice in Barquisimeto, the state capital, and the governor- ship in 2008, when he drew the support of three out of four voters. A strong showing for Father-


land for All on Sunday could mean that Falcon emerges to challenge Chavez in the 2012 presidential election.


Wearing his trademark base-


ball cap down low, Falcon arrived in a hardscrabble neighborhood near Barquisimeto at 5:30 a.m. one recent day.Housewives came out of their homes to hug him in the early-morning darkness.Oth- ers handed him their wish lists, which included requests for new homes and jobs. “There is no one like Henri


Falcon,” Marjory Suarez said af- ter Falcon entered her tiny store and pledged to provide a micro-


loan so she could buy a refrigera- tor. “Iwaited for himsince 3 a.m., andIhadfaiththathewouldhelp me.” Falcon’s early-morning tours


of needy barrios have an official name, Wake Up With Henri. He said the idea is to show residents that the government works for them. But the excursions also help him measure his support among people like Maria Escal- ante, a school principal. Moments after meeting with


Falcon, Escalante raved about him — and complained about Chavez. “The reality is that the govern-


ment has deteriorated with so many big corruption scandals,” she said. “I thinkwhat is happen- ing is that President Chavez does not listen to the people.” Disenchantment with Chavez


is indeed running high these days. Revelations that thousands of


tons of food imported by the state were left rotting at seaside ports have received amplemedia atten- tion.TheChavez administration’s inability to contend with the continent’s highest homicide rate and a stagnant economy have also hurt the president, whose popularity dropped below50 per- cent this year.


But Chavez still dominates the


political landscape and is beloved by many poor Venezuelans who believe that he has improved


their lives through generous so- cial programs. He also oversees a well-oiled political machine ac- customed to winning elections and controls a formidable array of state television stations that offer constant coverage of his rallies and speeches. Chavez has warned that his


opponents come from “a rotten bourgeoisie” that would surren- der Venezuela’s independence to the United States, which he calls “the empire.” To pry seats from Chavez, the


oppositionformed theDemocrat- ic Unity Movement and offered candidates fromacross the politi- cal spectrum. The opposition has drawn close to the government, polls show, although Chavez’s al- lies have an advantage because of electoral rules that give more weight to votes in rural areas, where the president is strongest. Some members of Fatherland


for All, which has six seats in congress, have gone to great pains to differentiate the party from the opposition, saying they want to retain Chavez’s revolu- tionary spirit. But Falcon said Chavez has ruled in an authori- tarian manner, with the govern- ment regularly violating the con- stitution. “What do we want?” Falcon


said. “We want a multicolored congress, a plural congress, a congress that is open, critical and not subject to the designs of one party or one president.” foreroj@washpost.com


DIGEST AFGHANISTAN


Al-Jazeera denounces 2 journalists’ arrest The al-Jazeera satellite television network on Wednesday protested


the recent detention by NATO of two of its cameramen in Afghanistan and accused the U.S.-led international force of “attempting to suppress its comprehensive coverage of theAfghanwar.” NATO officials said they detained the men after troops collected


“intelligence information linking them to Taliban propaganda net- works.” RahmatullahNekzadwas taken into custody during a pre-dawn raid


Wednesday at his home in the restive southern province ofKandahar.A military press release described himas a “Taliban facilitator,” a charac- terizationtheQatar-basednetwork saidit “strongly opposes.” Two days before, Mohamed Nader, who works for the network as a


freelancer,wasdetainedinasimilaroperationinGhazniprovince, south ofKabul. Ina statement, al-Jazeera saidits journalistsneedto cultivate sources


onall sides of the conflict, including theTaliban. “These contacts should not be seenas a criminal offense but rather as anecessary component of thework that journalistsundertake,” it said. NATOsaid themenwould remain in custody until authorities decide


whether they should be prosecuted in Afghan courts, remanded for participation in “a reconciliation program” or “released without condi- tions.” TheQatari royal family funds al-Jazeera,whose coverageofAmerican warshasdrawnthe ire ofU.S. officials.


—ErnestoLondono CHINA


Premier speaks out on disputewith Japan Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao


threatenedactionagainst Japanif it does not immediately release a detained Chinese ship captain, in his first comments on an escalat- ing disagreement over disputed islands. Wen’s remarksTuesdaynight in


New York were the first by a top Chinese leader on the issue that has led Beijing to suspend minis- terial-level contacts with Tokyo. China also has said Wen will not meet with Japanese PrimeMinis- ter Naoto Kan during U.N. meet- ings inNewYork thisweek. Tokyo “bears full responsibility


for the situation, and it will bear all consequences,” Wen told a gathering of overseas Chinese, ac- cording to China’s ForeignMinis- tryWeb site.Hedidnot elaborate. —AssociatedPress


U.N.panelcallsIsraeli flotillaraid illegal: A report by a three-mem- berU.N.-appointedpanel saidthat Israeli forces violatedinternation- al law when they raided an aid flotillaheaded to theGaza Strip in May, killing nine activists. Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded late Wednesdayby sayingthat theU.N. Human Rights Council, which commissioned the report, had a “biased, politicized and extremist approach.”


Italian police investigate seized explosivescache: Italianauthori- ties seized almost eight tons of powerful RDX explosive appar- ently being shipped from Iran to Syria and said they think that at least part of the cargo may have been intended for Italy. The cargo wasfoundbyanti-Mafiapoliceina shipping container in the south- ernport ofGioiaTauro.


E.U. broadens range of its anti- piracy force: The European


the role of private security guards in volatile areas of East Jerusalem, where Jewish nation- alists have moved into homes in Palestinian neighborhoods, stok- ing tensions. Civil rights advo- cates warned that the guards, who work for private firms, are operating outside the rules of engagement that bind police. A police spokesman said the


guard told investigators he fired into the air after his vehicle was blocked with large garbage bins and stoned from surrounding rooftops. The flare-up came amid a


looming crisis in U.S.-backed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians over Israeli set- tlement construction in theWest Bank and East Jerusalem. An Israeli moratorium on new building in West Bank settle- ments is set to expire Sunday, and the Palestinians have warned that if the freeze is not extended, they will withdraw fromthe negotiations. The trouble began before


dawn in the neighborhood of Silwan — under the walls of the Old City — where about 400 Jewish settlers live among 30,000 Palestinians. Residents and police said a


confrontation developed be- tween local youths and the secu- rity guard, who was patrolling in a car. Such incidents are com- mon in the neighborhood, where tensions have risen in recent months since the announcement of plans by city hall to demolish dozens of Palestinian homes to make way for a park. Hanan Odeh, who lives near- by, said that before the incident


there was stone-throwing and a loud argument between Israelis and local youths. Later, she said, she heard a burst of automatic gunfire and saw a fleeing man, limping on one leg, who col- lapsed on the stairs under her house. He was identified as Samer Sarhan, 32, a father of five. Sarhan’s funeral triggered


clashes across East Jerusalem. Stone-throwing youths battled police, who responded with tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons. At the al-Aqsa mosque compound, the holy site known to Jews as the Temple Mount, riot police charged in to disperse youths who had pelted them with rocks, the police spokesman said. Police said nine Israelis were


injured in the violence, including one who was stabbed. In addi- tion, three vehicles, including a police car, were burned, and two cars were overturned. The guard who opened fire was questioned and later released. The Association for Civil


Rights in Israel demanded the withdrawal from East Jerusalem of private security guards, whose work is paid for by the Israeli Housing Ministry. “The guards function as a police force even though they have not been prop- erly trained and do not have appropriate supervision,” said Keren Tzafrir, a lawyer for the group. “The guards are not sub- ject to the rules and orders of the police.” A report issued by the civil


rights group this month docu- mented accounts by Silwan resi- dents of assaults and quick re- sort to gunfire by the guards posted at settlers’ homes in the neighborhood. Ariel Rosenberg, a spokesman


for the Housing Ministry, said the guards operate under police guidance and have no policing functions other than protecting the settlers. He said they often display restraint in the face of rock-throwing provocations by local youths. The guard who opened fire, he said, faced “a lynch, was under a clear mortal threat and fired in self-defense.”


Greenberg is a special correspondent.


THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2010


GUILLERMO ARIAS/ASSOCIATED PRESS


Carrying marijuana plants, aMexican soldier walks through a cloud of smoke from marijuana burning on an illegal plantation in Tecate, in northernMexico. Authorities found three illegal plantations during air patrol operations this week.


Union’s anti-piracy task force is expandingitsareaofoperations to counter the increasing reach of Somalipirates.E.U.Navforpatrols currently cover the Gulf of Aden, the Somali coast and parts of the Indian Ocean, and a spokesman said this rangewould be extended beyondthe Seychelles.


France confronts 2nd kidnapping in Africa: French authorities are mobilizing to free hostages in two


African standoffs after a kidnap- ping of three oil workers in Nige- riaonWednesday,aweekafter five Frenchworkers at amine inNiger were seized. Themilitant Islamist group known as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has said it car- riedout theNiger abduction.


China battles year’s strongest storm to date: Heavy rains from the strongest storm to hit China thisyearcontinuedtothreatenthe


south Wednesday after causing flooding and landslides that have killed18people andleft at least 44 missing, officials said. Typhoon Fanapi swamped Guangdong province aftermaking a direct hit onthe islandofTaiwanonSunday andkilling twopeople there.


Group urges action on Eritrea: The international community must engage more with the au- thoritarian government ofEritrea


to prevent the tinyRed Sea nation from becoming another failed state in the Horn of Africa, says a new report by the International Crisis Group. The effects of Eri- trea’s 1998-2000 war with Ethio- pia, an economy in free fall and rising poverty are undermining the legitimacy of the country’s po- litical system, according to the re- port,whichwasreleasedlateTues- day.


—Fromnews services


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