(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - Even before Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas left Washington on his way back to Ramallah, PA officials rushed to announce that his talks with President Barack Obama over the future of the peace process were "unsuccessful." The officials said that Abbas rejected most of the proposals made by Obama during their meeting at the White House, including the idea of recognizing Israel as a Jewish state and maintaining an Israeli military presence in the Jordan Valley. Abbas, according to the officials, also dismissed as "immature" Obama's proposal concerning the status of Jerusalem because it did not call for a full Israeli withdrawal from the eastern part of the city. Over the past few months, Abbas and his top aides and negotiators have repeatedly voiced their strong opposition to the U.S. proposals for a "framework agreement," with some accusing the U.S. of failing to serve as a honest broker. In the West Bank, PA employees and schoolchildren were sent into the streets to chant slogans in support of Abbas, urging him not to succumb to U.S. pressure. Abbas is hoping to turn himself into a hero by telling his people that he had the guts to say no to Obama "These rallies are not real," complained West Bank university professor Abdel Sattar Qassem. "They are similar to what Arab intelligence agencies have been doing - using blackmail and intimidation to force their public servants to show loyalty for the ruler."
2014-03-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive