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The Palestinian Victimhood Narrative as an Obstacle to Peace
(Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies-Bar-Ilan University) Col. (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman - The speech delivered by PA leader Mahmoud Abbas at the UN General Assembly last week was proof, once again, that the Palestinian "narrative" of victimhood has become a threat to any practical prospect for peace. No mention can be made of the recent rise in Palestinian terror activities; no mention of the Palestinian decision to walk away from the framework advanced by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry; no word on Hamas' habitual shelling of Israeli civilian targets. There is also no mention of the collapse of all past peace efforts. In other words, all that the Palestinians have ever suffered is someone else's fault. Any sober assessment of what it would take to strike an Israeli-Palestinian deal inevitably leads to the clear understanding that painful but practical political compromises are required from both sides. Alas, this concept seems alien to many in the region, particularly to Palestinians; and the international community is not doing its part to help the Palestinians mature towards this realization. Global actors that want to help achieve peace need to assist the Palestinians in moving beyond wallowing in self-pity and rituals of bashing Israel. The writer, former deputy chief of Israel's National Security Council, held senior posts in IDF Military Intelligence for over 20 years.