Via Daily Alert blog.
An article in the UAE’s the National Abbas is a man in exile, even among his own
All Palestinian political factions, bar one, have denounced the direct talks, some in harsher language than others.
Only Fatah, Mr Abbas’s own group, supports direct talks. Even among its members, though, there are plenty of disapproving voices.
Ordinary Palestinians, as well as the political factions, feel they have little influence on the Palestinian leadership’s decisions. The Palestinian polity is broken. There is no functioning parliament. The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are divided under the leaderships of rival factions. The PA government under Salam Fayyad was appointed by presidential decree and elections – presidential, parliamentary and municipal – have all been postponed indefinitely
Related, see Daled Amos.
via Daily Alert blog. From the Daily Globe and Mail.
In his second term, Mr. Netanyahu is strong inside and weak outside. Facing no serious challengers, he enjoys political strength like no predecessor in the past generation. Improved security and an excellent economy support a quiet home front. Looking out the window, however, Mr. Netanyahu sees dark clouds surrounding Israel. The country is increasingly isolated, facing a global fatigue over its endless conflict with its neighbours, and a consensus against occupation, settlement expansion and excessive use of military force. And on the horizon, Iran’s nuclear project is looming.
Mr. Netanyahu returned to power chiefly to save Israel from the “existential threat†posed by Iran. In this environment, he must rely on the United States, Israel’s closest ally and strongest protector. Only Mr. Obama can save Israel from the wrath of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But this protection comes with a price: a Natanz-for-settlements tradeoff.
If PM Netanyahu were to make a deal he would have support to do so. But Abbas has no standing to make a deal. Palestinian nationalism has always been built on a premise on the destruction of Israel, so this is hardly a surprise. As Richard Cohen observed, nothing’s changed in the Arab world regarding the acceptance of Israel. And certainly not in the Palestinian world.
It kind of reminds me Khan’s famous rebuke to Captain Kirk.
UPDATE: A commenter at my blog pointed out that this line was said by Khan to Chekhov while they were still down on the Ceti Alpha six Five. I am s-o-o-o embarrassed.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
The one necessary qualification for a negotiator is the credible power to make concessions. Abbas has no such power, nor can any other Palestinian as long as they are divided and have a long record of reneging on all agreements.
Russ is correct.
Of course, when the talks fail, all the fingers will wag at Bibi and the Israelis.
So whether the problem is lack of legitimacy for Abbas, or Palestinian unwillingness
to make peace, or continued hatred against Israel and the Jews as expressed by almost
all Arab leaders … it will STILL be Israel’s fault.
Then again, when the huge natural gas fields off of the coast come into production,
and Israeli owned hydrocarbons can flood the world at bargain basement prices, is
there a possibility things will change?
The socialists in charge of Norway and the U.K. are starting to soil their pants.
Without all that oil and gas revenue they won’t be able to bribe their populations.
Hence their already extreme anti-Jewish rhetoric will only get more fierce. Who
knows? They might not even really hate the Jews. But they sure do love all that
MONEY!
The next step is obvious, Dad. Israel must make far reaching concessions to buttress Abbas’s position so he can win over the dissident Palestinian elements. Such concessions will strengthen Abbas and allow him to progress towards the two-state solution that he says he wants.
Any bets that this is going to be a common response when it turns out he can’t offer anything?