Abbas and the Palestinians have no choice but reconciliation

These days we are going through a great deal of uncertainty when it comes to the escalation of political turmoil and internal strife regarding the Palestinian situation. It is even more complicated given the Arab states’ neglect of the Palestinian issue and Israeli violence in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank. Recurrent aggression against the Gaza Strip exacerbates the suffering imposed by the siege and lack of reconciliation.

Mahmoud Abbas’s speech at the UN did not provide any solutions for the internal Palestinian strife nor for its position on both the regional and international stage. The speech did not provide anything new and did not exit the general framework of explaining the status quo. It failed to hold Israel completely responsible for its actions in the Palestinian territories. It was perhaps an indication that the Palestinian Authority (PA) is no longer able to maintain control of the Palestinian arena; an indication that the PA fears that the territories will be transformed into chaos that will be difficult to control. This would in turn threaten Israel’s security, which is an outcome that neither Abbas nor any country in the region would want. In truth, everyone seeks to ensure Israel’s security.

What complicates the situation further for Abbas and what forced him to rewrite his speech is the open neglect that was evident in Obama’s speech; the US president did not mention the Palestinian situation at all. This stems from the reality that the US will hold presidential elections in a year’s time and the Obama administration does not wish to anger the pro-Israel lobby. The president is well aware that Netanyahu will not accept any US proposal at this point and that both parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, wish to avoid angering their Jewish supporters for fear of losing campaign funds and votes.

In this case, what could possibly be left for Abbas to bet on? The peace process, in which he has placed his energy and trust, while claiming that he did not know that which Yasser Arafat was sure about at Camp David, has taken more than twenty years. The result of this process today is loud and clear: it is not only Mahmoud Abbas who has failed but also Benjamin Netanyahu, who ensured that the talks failed with every government. They failed because Israel did not want them to succeed and the Israeli government does not want peace.

Abbas failed on the domestic front with his own Fatah movement first and foremost when the party became divided and had numerous disagreements under various leaders. This is definitely true when it comes to the conflict in Gaza. It is as clear for all to see that a conflict is taking place among the different factions on the ground. If the situation in the West Bank were the same as in Gaza, we would say that Fatah has failed in its job of holding people together. In truth, Abbas failed in maintaining a consensus and sense of unity among the Palestinians and this has weakened the Palestinian struggle in the face of the occupation.

How can we possibly find a way out of this unfortunate situation? The Palestinians are weak on more than one level and they are affected by various Zionist, regional and international realities. There are many variables that Abbas is either not aware of or does not want to acknowledge and they require nothing more than a moment of truth from the Palestinian leader himself. He needs to make sure that there are no longer any obstacles standing in the way of true Palestinian unity based on partnership and strategy, which will place the cause at the top of the list of priorities for the Palestinian people.

Mahmoud Abbas must realise that 80 years marks the end of a journey and that he has not succeeded with his attempts at achieving peace on the basis of a two-state solution. He now needs to take a step in the right direction and work towards creating a new Palestinian reality. He must ask the Palestinian people to choose new representatives on this basis, as this is the honourable outcome for both him and the people. Will he do it? Will he straighten the path and turn a new page in his political life? Will he take the step that is needed and the one that will be remembered in Palestinian history and geography?

Translated from Alresalah, 1 October, 2015

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