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Abbas and the Jews
(New York Times) Shmuel Rosner - Just days before his UN speech, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met a small number of American Jewish leaders, though many leaders of the major American Jewish organizations declined to attend, claiming that negotiating with them was no substitute for negotiating with the government of Israel - and all the more so since Abbas has for four years now refused to resume peace talks with Israel. One of those who participated asked, why won't Abbas acknowledge the Jews' ties to Jerusalem? In response, Abbas made a pledge to show more sensitivity. And he invited the group to watch his address to the UN General Assembly, hinting that they would find in it a remedy to their complaints. In his speech, Abbas noted that the "land of peace" was "the birthplace of Jesus, [the place of] ascension of the Prophet Muhammad, and the final resting place of Abraham - the land of the three monotheistic religions." This would seem to be a subtle acknowledgment that Judaism, being one of the three monotheistic religions, has some vague connection to the Land of Israel. But that's a bit too subtle for most Jews. Note Abbas' shrewd choice of characters: Abraham, as the father of all three monotheistic religions, is a much safer pick than Moses, Jacob or King David. This part of Abbas' speech was not about being sensitive to Jewish claims. It was a rhetorical trick. If after asking Jewish leaders to watch his speech, Abbas could only give them this meek acknowledgment of their ties to Israel, the long road to peace may be very long indeed.