Sidelining Abbas can remove the greatest obstacle to Israel-Palestinian peace

Dear Friend of FLAME:

On September 24, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told UN General Assembly members he was giving Israel just one year to withdraw from the ancient Jewish homelands of Judea and Samaria . . . or else he was going to cancel his recognition of the Jewish state.

Surely this impotent threat fooled no one at the UN, and caused no Israelis to lose sleep. Abbas, now in his 13^th year of a four-year term—and whom 80% of Palestinians believe should resign —has been making empty threats and promises his entire career.

Abbas lost the last of his domestic credibility earlier this year when he scheduled Palestinian elections for May 2021. A few months later he cancelled the vote, blaming Israel for blocking Arab Jerusalemites from voting—a blatant lie meant to distract from yet another embarrassing Abbas flip-flop.

Meanwhile many Middle East observers scratch their heads or argue furiously about the lack of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Often as not, critics of Israel cling to red herring issues— such as “the settlements,” “refugees,” “borders” or Jerusalem—as the greatest obstacles to ending the conflict.

The true problem, however, is the rigid rejectionism wielded for almost two decades by none other than Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who obsessively demonstrates he is unwilling to achieve peace with Israel.

Mahmoud Abbas has long been branded by hopeful Western diplomats as a moderating influence within the Palestinian national movement and its ruling party, Fatah.

However, a cursory look at Abbas’ past shows anything but moderation. His doctoral thesis was a denial of the Holocaust. Abbas has actively organized terrorism and reportedly raised the funds for the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Olympic Games, where 12 Israeli athletes and coaches were murdered. He was also a KGB agent and the main conduit for Soviet-Palestinian relations during the Cold War.

In 2003, Abbas became Palestinian Prime Minister before being appointed President after the death of Yasser Arafat. While many thought his business suit distinguished him from his predecessor’s army fatigues, Abbas’ language belied these hopes. Though on occasion he disavowed violence for the ears of the international community, his constant adoration of Palestinian “martyrs”—terrorists who died in their murderous acts—demonstrates otherwise.

Abbas’ government continuously names roads, public squares, monuments and children’s summer camps after terrorists. In addition, his steadfast refusal to end the Palestinians’ ‘Pay for Slay’ program—salaries for convicted terrorists—proves bloodshed still tops his agenda.

But the major complaint against Abbas from Palestinians themselves is corruption and a lust for money. Abbas and his sons have been accused of misappropriating hundreds of millions of dollars of PA funds. Former economic adviser to PLO founder Yasser Arafat, Muhammed Rashid, estimated Abbas has taken at least $100 million, and Abbas’ two sons run businesses supported by PA enterprises and worth upwards of $600 million.

In testimony before a House Committee on Foreign Affairs in 2012, Elliott Abrams stated that “Corruption is an insidious destroyer not only of Palestinian public finance but of faith in the entire political system . . . [A]s an American official seeking financial assistance for the PA from Gulf Arab governments . . . I was often told ‘why should we give them money when their officials will just steal it?’”

Piled atop Abbas’ corruption is his dictatorial rule. He has repeatedly cancelled municipal, parliamentary and presidential elections. The 85-year-old has become increasingly repressive, with his police forces breaking up demonstrations, intimidating opponents and murdering critics.

However, his most damaging contribution is his rejectionism of peace. In 2008, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made Israel’s most generous offer of peace ever to Abbas, which included 100% of Judea, Samaria and Gaza, with minor land swaps, half of Jerusalem, control of the Temple Mount and Holy Basin and even a return of some refugees. Abbas rejected the offer out of hand.

Indeed, Abbas and his predecessor Arafat have refused every single Israeli peace offer—and later, even the possibility of further talks. This despite Israel’s good-faith concessions, such as the freeze on new building in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria in 2010, during the Obama Administration.

During the Trump Administration, Abbas’ rejectionism went even further, as the U.S. offered the Palestinians $50 billion in aid and investment just to come to the negotiating table, but were once again rebuffed. “We say a thousand times no, no, no to the Deal of the Century,” Abbas said.

The root of Abbas’ rejectionism is his continued objection to Israel as the national homeland of the Jewish people, belying his stated commitment to the “two-state for two peoples” formula. While he tells the world that Palestinian sovereignty is at the root of the conflict, it was in fact Jewish sovereignty that formed the conflict a century ago and still riles Palestinian leadership.

Speaking in 2014 Abbas said he firmly rejected the demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state. “They are pressing and saying, ‘no peace without the Jewish state,’” he said. “There is no way. We will not accept.”

Sentiment among Israelis is unequivocal: Rejection of the Jewish people’s national rights is the greatest obstacle to peace. Unless an enemy commits to stop fighting, the fight will continue.

The international community, led by the U.S., should not succumb to Abbas’ incessant bullying and threats. He has shown he has no interest in peace or a resolution to the conflict—preferring to just grease its wheels and his own palms simultaneously.

I hope you will point out to friends, family, colleagues and your elected representatives that this man in a suit is nothing but an unrepentant terrorist with no interest in peace. Before agreeing to any Palestinian demands, the U.S. should first test Mahmoud Abbas. Extract the singular concession from him that will resolve the bottleneck he has created:

Ask Abbas if he is ready to accept the State of Israel as the home of the Jewish people whose capital is Jerusalem. If his answer is still “no”—as it surely will be until the day he dies —it makes sense to sideline the Palestinian president and take a chance on the next generation of Palestinian leaders.

I hope you’ll also take a minute, while you have this material front and center, to forward this message to friends, visit FLAME’s lively Facebook page and review the P.S. immediately below. It describes FLAME’s new hasbarah campaign—which exposes “Ben & Jerry’s Bad Taste” and those who support boycotts of the Jewish state.

Best regards,

James Sinkinson
President, Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME)