Abbas to Arab Leaders: Go to Hell!

[shira]

Abbas and Fatah leaders in Ramallah claim that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (the "Arab Quartet&quot are using and promoting Abbas's rival, Mohamed Dahlan, in order to facilitate their mission of rapprochement with Israel.

Many Palestinians were surprised to see veteran Palestinian official Ahmed Qurei, a former Palestinian Authority (PA) prime minister and one of the architects of the Oslo Accord, come out in favor of the Arab plan, which basically envisions ousting Abbas from power.

This, and not Israeli policy, is Abbas's true nightmare. After all, he knows that without Israel's presence in the West Bank, his regime would have long fallen into the hands of Hamas or even his political rivals in Fatah.

The "Arab Quartet" plan shows that some Arab countries are indeed fed up with Abbas's failure to lead his people towards a better life. These states, which have long been politically and financially supportive of the Palestinians, have had enough of Abbas's efforts to secure unending power -- at the direct cost of the well-being of his people.

more...
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/9023/abbas-arab-states

[shira]

1. (Related) Egyptian official mocks Abbas ‘stupidity,’ says Fatah ‘screwed’...

A top Egyptian intelligence official is heard mocking Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in a newly leaked phone call with a chief rival of the PA leader, characterizing him as old and stupid and saying the Fatah party is “screwed” under his leadership.

According to the Middle East Eye, the comments were made by Major General Wael el-Safty, an officer in Egypt’s General Intelligence Directorate in charge of Palestinian affairs, during a conversation with Fatah’s Mohammad Dahlan.

In excerpts of the call which were broadcast on Egyptian Mekameleen TV, Safty reportedly says Abbas’s “concentration isn’t at full capacity” and he “has nothing to offer.”

Safty goes on to compare Abbas to “a camel,” saying he routinely regurgitates old ideas. He also speaks of his advanced age (the PA leader is 81), saying “The track is running out, if you excuse the phrase.”

He claims Abbas “isn’t smart at all. He doesn’t want to change, he doesn’t want to do anything.”

The Egyptian official attacks Abbas’s leadership, saying Palestinian factions inside Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) are becoming increasingly unruly under his leadership.

“Fatah is completely screwed,” he says. “The (PLO) is even worse…It’s stupidity.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/egyptian-official-mocks-abbas-stupidity-says-fatah-screwed-in-leaked-call/

[shira]

2. Saudi Gazette criticizes Abbas for not meeting with Netanyahu

The Palestinians should not be too quick to dismiss the invitation extended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address Israel’s parliament in return to “gladly come to speak peace with the Palestinian parliament in Ramallah.” Netanyahu’s gesture was quickly rejected by the Palestinians as a “new gimmick” but the invitation is reminiscent of the one issued by former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to visit Israel — and the rest is history. On Nov. 19, 1977, Sadat became the first Arab leader to visit Israel when he met with Begin and spoke before the Knesset in Jerusalem about his views on how to achieve a comprehensive peace to the Arab-Israeli conflict which included the full implementation of UN resolutions 242 and 338.

The visit led to the 1978 Camp David accords, the series of meetings between Egypt and Israel facilitated by then US President Jimmy Carter, then the signing of a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in the US the following year. For good measure, both Sadat and Begin were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for creating the treaty.

For all its shortcomings, Camp David demonstrated that negotiations with Israel were possible and that progress could be made through sustained efforts at communication and cooperation. Despite the disappointing conclusion of the 1993 Oslo accords, it was a significant development that had little chance of occurring without the precedent set by Camp David.

Another unprecedented invitation involving the Palestinians and Israel needs mentioning, that of Bill Clinton becoming the first US president to visit Palestinian territory where he addressed the Palestine National Council. On that day in 1998, Palestinian leaders approved a measure affirming the right of Israel to exist. Rising from their seats and voting by raising their hands, the PNC voted nearly unanimously to remove clauses from the Palestine Liberation Organization charter that called for the destruction of Israel. The acceptance by the Palestinians that Israel had the right to live within secure borders led to the 2000 Camp David summit II which, while it ended without an agreement, could not have been held in the first place had it not been for Clinton’s visit.

Despite these two examples of how official visits can bend the arc of history, the Palestinians automatically rejected Netanyahu’s invite to Abbas which was designed to mask what they described as Israel’s intransigence on moving forward with the Mideast peace process. It is possible that the aim of the invitation was an attempt by Netanyahu to isolate UN attempts to restart and impose a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. In reiterating his persistent call for direct negotiations with the Palestinians, Netanyahu has rejected any possible UN plan to unilaterally impose a solution to the conflict, reiterating Israel’s longstanding complaints that the UN is biased against Israel. His biggest concern is that President Obama might allow the UN Security Council to endorse Palestinian statehood at year end without the traditional US veto of such a measure.

The Palestinians have rebuffed Netanyahu’s past offers for such invitations, saying his hard-line position on all core issues made dialogue impossible. Indeed, Netanyahu rejects a settlement freeze, will not uproot settlements, rejects the 1967 borders as the basis for talks and rejects any division of Jerusalem.

But the Palestinians should note that at the time, Egypt and Israel were mortal enemies, having fought three wars. Camp David called for a five-year transitional period of Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza. The transitional period would include the introduction of Palestinian self-government and an end to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Much of the Arab world derided it as a weak deal. But in hindsight, if the provisions had been carried out, Israel and the Palestinians might not be in the impasse they are in at present.

http://saudigazette.com.sa/opinion/editorial/netanyahus-invitation/

[FBaggins]

3. Just a bunch of anti-arab/anti-muslim zionist racists!

Wait... who is this coming from?