Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas lashed out at President Donald Trump Sunday night and asserted that the role of the U.S. as mediator in the Mideast conflict is over.
In Abbas’ lengthy speech to the Palestinian Central Council, a decision-making body, he sharply escalated his rhetoric, saying “Shame on you” to President Trump for his treatment of Palestinians, in a speech that ABC News described as “rambling and invective-filled.” He pronounced the peace process dead, and accused Israel of killing it.
Reaching back to Israel’s founding, Abbas accused European leaders of attempting to gain a foothold in Palestinian regions through the movement of Jewish people to the area, in what he called “a colonial project that has nothing to do with Judaism.” He claimed Jewish immigrants were brought to Israel from countries they did not want to leave – including those occupied by Nazi German.
“The Jews did not want to emigrate … even during the Holocaust,” he claimed, according to The Times of Israel, which charged Abbas with “rewriting history” during Sunday’s speech.
A new report outlines the Palestinian Authority (PA) intentions, with the ultimate goal of redefining not only the future relations of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) with Israel and the United States, but also changing the status of the organization from a “transitional authority” to a “state under occupation.”
They will push to withdraw formal recognition of Israel and end the United States’ long-standing role as a mediator in the Mideast peace process. PLO leaders instead hope to pursue an “international formula” for achieving statehood, reports The Jerusalem Post.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on a trip to India, reacted to Abbas’ remarks in a statement on Facebook. “The root of the conflict between us and the Palestinians is their continuous refusal to recognize the Jewish State,” he wrote.
Netanyahu went on to say he has worked for years to convey the truth that others have attempted to hide.
“The world has pampered the Palestinians, and not told them the truth,” he said. “For the first time, someone (President Trump) is telling them the truth.”
The PA was formed as an interim governing body under the 1993 Oslo Accords – signed by leaders at the time, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chief Yasser Arafat. The agreement was intended to be dissolved after no more than five years.
But 25 years later, the PLO is now threatening to do just that. In its view, this action would release the Palestinian people from political obligations outlined in its agreements with Israel.
What does it all really mean?
ABC News, in its analysis of Abbas’ speech, focused on his failures and frustrations: After 13 years as PA leader, he has made little progress toward his principal goal, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. Abbas is unpopular with his own people, the news agency reported.
Additionally, many of the PA’s Arab allies have quietly moved closer to Israel or turned their attention to the growing threat of Iran. Abbas is perhaps most of all angered by President Trump’s recent recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
This may just be the Palestinians’ attempt to better their negotiating position. But most observers don’t see any path to peace in the Middle East that does not include the United States.
Still, we who support Israel should take note of this new overtone of rage and desperation. We at Jewish Voice, as always, will monitor the situation and continue to bring you updates.
Meanwhile, I hope you’ll pray for the Jewish State during these times of turmoil – and certainly as we approach Israel’s 70th anniversary in May. It will be a happy celebration, even as we keep in mind the many challenges and threats facing the Jewish people.
We appreciate your love for Israel and for Jewish people throughout the world. Your gifts to this ministry help provide them humanitarian aid, and more importantly, the Good News with its message of eternal life and hope, found only in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah.
