Has anyone thought of the possibility that Obama and Netanyahu might actually be secretly applauding Abbas’ move this week at the UN without wanting to say it?
Looking at the welcome he got back home, let’s think of what this does:
1. His position vis-a-vis Hamas is strengthened.
2. He removed Obama from the line of fire by the Jewish community in the USA by forcing Obama to align against the UN move. Abbas recognizes that Obama would like to take a more balanced approached, yet is cornered by the Israeli lobby on the left and the Republicans who are angling to be Israel’s “true partner” on the right.
3. He permitted Netanyahu, who although he is no “dove” is not either the kind of “hawk” that his “righter of right” minority government partners are, to publicly be against the UN move, while tending his hand in peace in NYC. Abbas refusal of “Bibi’s” move was predictable. He had to come back having shown his population “YES WE CAN”. And if the price permits Netanyahu to return to Israel to say, “this is the reality caused by extremist positions”, Israelis will see their PM as more of a centrist, which would serve to strengthen his hand against the rightist partners he faced within his own coalition.
4. Abbas’ PM has been building up the West Bank into a much more productive society while Hamas is smuggling, impoverishing and keeping its population stuck in the past. He will trumpet that policy as having this recent move as a natural progression. They are wanting to show the Gaza population that its by being constructive and strong of faith that nationhood will come, rather than being destructive and hard of heart.
Is there one thing above that Americans or Israelis truly have issue with?
All too often we take things at face value according to our own sentiment or values, without recognizing the realities on the ground of the people we are judging. Abbas move was brilliant and has had precisely the effect he wanted. Now that he’s done this, he can move towards direct talks with the Israelis as “perceived equals”, which he could not before.
Sass