Abbas slams Trump and Israel, yet is careful not to burn all his bridges
Analysis: The Palestinian president may have threatened to terminate the Oslo Agreements, but made no mention of suspending or halting the security coordination with Israel in his scathing speech; leaving the window open for future peace negotiations, he made it clear that the only Palestinian resistance he supports is a peaceful one.
The Council convened to discuss the American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Abbas’ words indicate that he is aware of his old age and of the fact that the next time the Council convenes, the PLO may be headed by someone else.
Abbas made it crystal clear that Donald Trump’s administration would have no part in brokering or sponsoring future negotiations with Israel. That role would be handed over to the United Nations or a committee of several countries. As far as the Palestinians are concerned, the ultimate deal died before it was born.
Abbas didn’t burn all his bridges, however. He did threaten to terminate the Oslo Agreement, but cancelling the Oslo Agreement will essentially lead to the dissolvement of the Palestinian Authority. He has yet to reach this level of despair, and he likely never will.
There was no mention of suspending or halting the security coordination with Israel. In spite of his aggressive speech, the Palestinian president understands how significant the coordination is for the Palestinians and knows that it protects him from a Hamas coup or attempts to create chaos in the West Bank.
Abbas knows he isn’t doing well in Palestinian public opinion polls and has reached an unprecedented low point. The young generation, which doesn’t believe in Abbas and in his leadership, is particularly disappointed. The anti-US speech may have been aimed at appealing to that generation and gaining its support, following a realization that the young people are tired of promises and of seeing a leadership that still conforms with a pro-Israel administration.
Abbas reiterated several times that this conformity was a thing of the past. He also spoke about the need to care for the young generation, mentioning a number of projects for young Palestinians that the Palestinian Authority is involved in.
Despite his scathing and harsh words, Abbas repeatedly clarified that the only Palestinian resistance he supports is a peaceful one, not an armed one. He basically set a red line—yes to despair, no to an armed intifada—leaving the window open for negotiations with Israel and stressing that he is interested in such negotiations, but not under American auspices.
Abbas admitted that the reconciliation process with Hamas had reached a dead end, but noted that he would not accept a state in Gaza and a state in the West Bank. In other words, he will keep the reconciliation in abeyance, so as not to completely lose the Gaza Strip to Hamas once again.
In his speech, Abbas attacked both the roots of Zionism—saying that “the Europeans wanted to bring the Jews here to preserve their interests in the region”—and Trump. Slamming the American president, he said: "I see a tweet on Twitter, ‘We will not give the Palestinians money because they refuse to negotiate.' May your house come to ruin (an Arabic curse). Where did you offer that to me? On the phone? On television?"
