History will remember Abbas as peace rejectionist
Even before the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan was revealed earlier this month, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas was planning his trip to New York City, where he plans to address the United Nations and protest the plan’s outline, which the P.A. has rejected outright.
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas delivers a speech on the Trump administration’s Mideast peace plan at P.A. headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Jan. 28, 2020. Photo by Flash90.
That has been the Palestinian leader’s modus operandi for the past 17 years, and it has kept him on the wrong path of sparing no effort to fight Israel in the international arena, which at times seems to be his primary goal—something far more important to him than promoting Palestinian interests that could facilitate statehood.
But the Abbas era will soon end, and when he steps down from the world stage, history will remember him as the greatest peace rejectionist that ever was.
Years of historic opportunities to strike a peace deal, including and especially President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century,” have come and gone, thrown away in favour of United Nations speeches and political terrorism against Israel in every forum and all over the world.
An individual who dedicates himself to incitement against Israel, to the indoctrination of children with hatred toward Israel and the Jews, and who backs and sponsors the “pay-for-slay” policy, paying tens of millions of dollars to terrorists and their families, cannot be called a partner for peace.
Hundreds of anti-Israeli resolutions have been adopted by the U.N. General Assembly over the past decade, most at the behest of the Palestinians and Abbas. During this time, Abbas has agreed to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only once. That’s right: once.
There is no doubt that as long as Abbas heads the P.A., peace is not feasible.
On Monday, we again proved that the rules of the game at the United Nations have changed. After much effort by Israel vis-à-vis many U.N. member-states, the Palestinian gambit to have the U.N. Security Council adopt a resolution condemning the U.S. Middle East peace plan was thwarted.
When Abbas addresses the Security Council on Tuesday, he will find no fans. Unlike before, the international community has had enough of censures and condemnations. Now it expects a direct dialogue between the parties.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tends to boast that he held direct negotiations with Abbas. But even the close relationship between the two did not change Abbas’s path—he rejected even Olmert’s far-reaching peace proposal, opting instead to malign Israel at the United Nations.
Despite this, the former prime minister has chosen to back the Palestinian leader’s brand of political terrorism.
We must not encourage a man who rewards terrorism and violence against Israel. Olmert would be wise to come to his senses and stand by his country—not undermine it for the whole world to see.
A statement in a press briefing will do little to help the P.A. or Israel. The road to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict does not run through New York, but only through in Jerusalem and Ramallah.
Danny Danon is Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations.
