Occupied Jerusalem: Before his speech to the United Nations late on Wednesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas promised to drop a “bombshell”. In the event, he delivered little more than strong words that may amount to a hollow threat.
For most of his address, Abbas took Israel to task over its 48-year occupation, its restrictions on Palestinian prayer at Al Haram Al Sharif in Occupied Jerusalem and its failure to prosecute Jews suspected of crimes against Palestinians.
And then he landed what sounded like a serious blow, pointing to Israel’s unchecked colony building and “refusal to commit to past agreements”: “We therefore declare,” he said, “that we cannot continue to be bound by these agreements, and that Israel must assume all its responsibilities as an occupying power.” Abbas was referring to the Oslo Accords of the mid-1990s, a series of political, economic and security measures that have been the bedrock of diplomacy for two decades and enshrined the ultimate aim of giving the Palestinians their own state.
But almost as soon as the 80-year-old leader had dropped his supposed bomb, questions were being asked about what it meant in practice.
Critically, Abbas did not say that he was dissolving the Palestinian Authority, which gives the Palestinians limited self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza, nor that he was suspending security cooperation with Israel, two key elements that emerged from the Oslo Accords.
He also did not suggest that he was stepping down from his own position, which he has held since 2005 and which also grew out of Oslo, a move that would have constituted a bombshell.
The public disappointment and increasing disengagement from political life were particularly highlighted when the ruling party Fatah’s call on Palestinians to take part in after-speech parades went largely ignored. Only Palestinian security forces and members of the party took part at limited parades through out the West Bank.
Many of those who did show up to watch their president deliver speak at the UN General Assembly said they did so because of high expectations, but many left saying they had once again been disappointed by their leader, who has set many ultimatims on Israel in the past, including multiple threats to quit.
“The Palestinian public and the entire world are used to his [Abbas’s] regular threats, so what is new about that?” questioned Moetasem Abu Eisa, a 50-year-old Palestinian from Nablus who watched the speech live on a big screen in the city. Abu Eisa said he never believed in Palestinian National Authority (PNA) , but came this time in hope for a possible change.
“We expected him to dismantle the PNA or totally withdraw from the Oslo Accords, suspend security coordination with Israel, or even announces his resignation from presidency or any other dramatic declaration meets the public aspirations.”
Palestinian political analysts were underwhelmed, although not surprised that Abbas had served up less than promised.
“The speech reflects a sense of undecidedness, confusion and lack of options,” said Hani Al Masri, a writer, academic and political commentator based in the West Bank.
“It repeated previous positions with nothing new. There were no bombshells, not even fireworks,” he said, adding that he believed it had ultimately weakened Abbas’s position.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to criticise his counterpart, calling the speech “deceitful”.
“We expect and call on the (Palestinian) Authority and its leader to act responsibly and accede to the proposal of the prime minister of Israel and enter into direct negotiations with Israel without preconditions,” he said in a statement.
In the interim, all eyes will be on whether Abbas follows up his UN rhetoric with action on the ground. If he truly intends to repudiate the Oslo agreements, he will have to dissolve the Palestinian Natinoal Authority, the Palestinian police and all municipal services throughout the West Bank and Gaza.
“(Abbas) is saying, if you want to be an occupation government, then so be it,” Akram Rajoub, the governor of the Nablus district in the West Bank, told Israel Radio.
“You’ll have to do everything. We cannot continue to carry out our obligations by ourselves.” Such a step would place a huge burden on Israel, with Israeli troops moving back into Palestinian cities to impose security and Israeli authorities left to handle education, trash collection, social services and utilities.
A clue as to whether that outcome is likely came from a senior Palestinian official immediately after Abbas’s speech.
“It was disappointing,” said Ali Eshaq, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization. “His announcement ... is an ambiguous position and did not reach the level of cancelling the Oslo Accords.”
— With inputs from Nasouh Nazzal, Correspondent
