Israel Matzav

Uh oh! Abu Mazen's pride has been hurt

JPost's Khaled Abu Toameh reports that 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen is nursing his wounded pride after being 'forced' to meet unconditionally with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu after swearing for months that we would not do so.

Asked to explain the discrepancy between the two positions - that of Abbas's aides on Friday and the White House invitation - a top Palestinian official said: "The president [Abbas] couldn't resist the heavy pressure the Americans put on him. In fact, he went to the meeting with Netanyahu against his will."

Another official complained that the meeting with Netanyahu had caused "grave damage" to Abbas's credibility and standing among Palestinians.

"For the past seven or eight months, President Abbas has been declaring day and night that he wouldn't meet with Netanyahu or resume the peace talks unless Israel froze all settlement construction, including new homes that are being built in east Jerusalem," the official pointed out.

"What are the Palestinians supposed to think of their president when they see him doing the exact opposite of what he had promised them? How will anyone from now on take him seriously?"

When has anyone taken him seriously until now? He's regarded as inept, incompetent and powerless by everyone in the region. The only mystery is why everyone continues to pay lip service to him.

Political analyst Khaled Mansour said that Abbas's decision to participate in the tripartite summit came as a "new disappointment" because it showed to what extent the PA leadership was willing to succumb to American pressure.

Abbas, he added, is under the illusion that the US is a fair and honest broker in the Israeli-Arab conflict. Mansour said that Palestinians across the political spectrum had been encouraged by Abbas's decision to boycott the peace talks as long as Israel was continuing to build in the settlements.

Another political analyst, Hani al-Masri, said that Abbas agreed "grudgingly" to attend the summit because he felt that the Arab countries were not supporting him enough. "They [the Arab countries] have been asking him to remain steadfast and persistent, but none of them have done anything to support his steadfastness and persistence," he noted.

According to al-Masri, some of the Arab countries had even asked Abbas secretly to accept the invitation to meet with Netanyahu.

Summing up Abbas's predicament, the analyst added: "When he says yes, he's accused of compromising Palestinian rights; when he says no, he's accused of failing to grasp the reality."

Ir's tough being a revolutionary in the 21st century isn't it? I hope he at least got to fly first class.

Heh.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:35 AM