Overrated: Mahmoud Abbas

October 2011

Illustration by David Smith

Mahmoud Abbas is the man who Britain, America and Europe think deserves to be the president of an independent state of Palestine — the establishment of which, they tell themselves, would end the Middle East impasse.

To Western eyes Abbas, the Fatah-backed President of the Palestinian Authority, is a moderate. It is, however, simply astounding that he should be viewed in this way. It is even more astounding that Western liberals should endorse him and give him a free pass for his behaviour.

Both he and the Palestinian establishment he controls repeatedly say they will never accept Israel as a Jewish state. So his aim remains the destruction of Israel. He and his people repeatedly say that not one Jew would be allowed to live in Palestine. Such a state would therefore be a racist entity ethnically cleansed of Jews.

Abbas has gone even further in making plain that his bigotry is directed not just at Israel. Considering the possibility that Nato forces might be brought in to police a settlement, Abbas declared: "I will not accept the presence of Jews in these forces."

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Palestinian Authority

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Hazlitt

October 15th, 2011
9:10 AM

Just to be clear: Tiki is saying that we in the West want a second Holocaust and are happy for the Palestinians (!) to carry it out. Laughable, but a standard Zionist trope intended to short-circuit rational debate.

Dror from Israel

October 14th, 2011
1:10 PM

Melanie Phillips, Thanks for unmasking this "mild-mannered businessman". He is also responsible for approving dozens of death penalties to Palestinians accused in collaboration with Israel. Indeed, what a great humanist... Here is a link to an interview with Abbas Zaki, a member of Fatah's centeral comittee, considered by many the successor of Mahmoud Abbas. We can learn what the Palestinians mean when they speak of peace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyhuqthF2UM&feature=player_embedded#!

tiki

October 14th, 2011
9:10 AM

"appalingly, the solution that he represents risks being the final one". The EU, Britain Obama & the rest know! That's why they like & endorse him. Let the Palies do the 'dirty work and we the 'enlightened West will again mourn dead Israeli/Jews with many speeches & memorials

Hazlitt

October 13th, 2011
1:10 PM

Abbas was incompetent in negotiating Oslo. Abbas has been compliant in the implementation by Israel and the US of the textbook neo-colonial pacification of the natives. Abbas has no mandate. Abbas has not attempted to acquire a mandate, even from the section of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories. The one piece of disobedience has been to turn to the UN, in the hope that it would fulfil its duty to resolve this international dispute rather than acquiesce in the US-Isreali ploy of pretending it is a bilateral dispute between two equal parties, Israel and the Palestinians. It has long been Israeli custom to depict any prominent Palestinian as a terrorist, to persuade the world that it has no-one to negotiate with. It and its creatures have long depicted Abbas as such, even as he did their bidding and even as he and his colleagues offered up everything the Israelis demanded (see the Palestinian Papers). This little rant is just more of the same, with added pique because of the one little piece of disobedience. It deserves no further notice. It is obedient propaganda.

Anonymous

October 13th, 2011
8:10 AM

This article should be required reading for Messrs Hague and Cameron - and the rest of the European political Establishment. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Ms Phillips for highlighting these repugnant, but usually overlooked facts, and to Standopint Magazine for publishing the article. Thank you to both. Would that our lonely voices get stronger.

Joan

October 12th, 2011
11:10 PM

Hoped you would have time to read this.

Steve

October 12th, 2011
3:10 PM

Yea true, but why let facts get in the way of establishing another terrorist state???

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