Abbas Reactions

While the Israeli government has taken no official stance about Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas‘ decision not to run for reelection (see our post), Middle East Online is reporting that Israeli leaders regret his departure.  The report notes that a senior Israeli official said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees Abbas “as a partner for peace” and that Shimon Peres attempted to talk Abbas out of his decision several days ago.  Juan Cole has reprinted an editorial from ‘Amman Al-Ra’y arguing that Abbas’ role is insignificant as long as settlements expansion is not frozen in Jerusalem. In addition, he includes a statement from PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat who demanded that the 2008 negotiations resume immediately and saying that Abbas is an “ordinary man” expressing his frustration.

The Guardian has published an editorial arguing that Abbas’ resignation will shake the foundation of U.S. and Quartet strategy, which “is predicated on the assumption that Palestinians can be divided into “good” West Bankers and “bad” Gazans.”  The editors feel that this decision paves the way for popular leader Marwan Barghouti to run for president, whose ascension would prove problematic for the region’s “old guard.”  Ultimately, the U.S. needs to remain hands off in this situation and allow Palestinians to follow their own democratic processes.

Marc Lynch added to his post from last week debating the realities of an Abbas resignation saying that this could positively shake up the stalled negotiations.  He notes that there have been three basic Arab responses to the announcement, “the first thinks he’s bluffing, attempting to leverage his weakness into pressure on the U.S. and Israel; the second thinks it’s irrelevant, because the elections will not actually be held in January; and the third is cheering his  departure, and hoping that it will lead to a collective admission that the PA’s strategy has failed.”  For Lynch, this incident highlights the lack of American strategy and intra-Palestinian understanding who hopes that this will lead to the necessary realization that “there’s no viable path forward which doesn’t include alleviating the blockade of Gaza and reunifying it politically with the West Bank, and no serious prospect that the institutions of the Palestinian Authority can be built up along Salam Fayyad’s model without also dealing seriously with the political horizon of peace talks aimed at rapidly achieving a two state solution.”

Meanwhile, al Arabiya is reportingthat Hamas, Fatah and Israel are working together to allow a group of Gazans to receive swine flu vaccinations and to travel for the hajj.  One of the pilgrims, Sami Abdallah, 34, said he hoped this Fatah-Hamas cooperation could serve as a model for healing a the Palestinian national movement.