[Ha'aretz] Avi Issacharoff - One reason behind the u-turn by Mahmoud Abbas on discussion of the Goldstone report at the UN Human Rights Council has to do with the proposed Fatah-Hamas reconciliation agreement. Hamas said that Abbas' previous decision not to raise the issue of the Goldstone report bordered on treason, and thus it could not sign a reconciliation agreement. What can Hamas say now that the PA has reversed itself? While it would be difficult to find even one senior PA official who really believes that Hamas wants national unity, by agreeing to the Egyptian-brokered accord, Fatah can present Hamas as the intransigent party. Meanwhile, Abbas has raised the tenor of his anti-Israel declarations, a tried-and-true way to gain sympathy in the Palestinian street: Whenever you are accused of collaboration, lash out against Israel. Quite a few senior Fatah officials, including ones close to Abbas, urged Israel to intensify its attacks on Hamas during the Gaza operation. Now they are accusing Israel of war crimes.
2009-10-15 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive