(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Pinhas Inbari - Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas suffered a defeat on Sept. 9, 2015; his plan to convene the Palestinian National Council, as a means of boosting his legitimacy before speaking at the UN General Assembly later this month, failed. The reasons for the failure essentially come down to the PLO's loss of relevance to the Arab world's order of priorities. The Palestinian leadership has kept clinging to the old agenda as if the struggle for a Palestinian state is the cardinal issue for the Arab world, and not the very survival of the Arab peoples themselves - including the Palestinians - as they suffer assaults from Shiite and Sunni radical armies as well as stream into Europe for refuge. The writer, an analyst for the Jerusalem Center, is a veteran Arab affairs correspondent who formerly reported for Israel Radio and Al Hamishmar newspaper.
2015-09-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive