Ramallah: Palestinians are showing signs of increasing frustration and disappointment after their President Mahmoud Abbas’s long awaited speech at the UN General Assembly, in which he threatened to withdraw from the Oslo Accords.
The public disappointment and increasing disengagement from political life were particularly highlighted when the ruling Fatah party’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 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 ultimatums against 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?” 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 the 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 announce his resignation from presidency or any other dramatic declaration meeting the public aspirations.” “Whether excused or not, the Palestinian leadership is taking the public from one disappointment to another, without taking their popularity on the street into consideration,” he told Gulf News.
Hani Habib, a political analyst said the “average” speech cannot be judged now and that “we must wait to see whether it will be put into action on the ground or not”.
“Palestinians should not be under pressure all the time. Enough is enough. The status quo in the Occupied Territories cannot go on unchanged.”
Abdul Sattar Qasem, another political analyst said Abbas’s speech should have been historic, but “the Palestinian public were sure it would not be ... he did not mention what he plans to do next and left the entire future, in the short and long run, undefined”.
The Palestinians are capable to protect themselves when it matters,” he said. “Abbas’s speech has tremendously contributed to the public’s frustration and disappointment.”
Jamal Zahalqa, a Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset said that Abbas’s speech does not in any way meet the demands and aspirations of the Palestinian people. “We expected much more than what had come in the speech, which did not arouse any real concerns in Israel,” he told Gulf News.
“As long as the PNA-Israel security cooperation is underway and secured, Israel does not care much for the rest of the details,” he said. “The Palestinian question does not need minor steps but dramatic declarations and practical moves that truly shake and change the current miserable conditions ...”
Zahalqa said that the Palestinians cannot live under the current status quo. “The PNA was meant to be a transitional stage for the creation of an independent state, but unfortunately ended up being the main obstacle in the path towards ending the occupation,” he said. “This comforts Israel, preserves its security, relieves Israel from the duties of the occupier and paves the way for Israel to continue with its colony activities.”
“Without a new crisis, our current crisis will never be resolved,” he said.
