Promoting the French initiative at the expense of Palestinians

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has remained undeterred in his ambitions to venture from failure into catastrophe. Following the Middle East Quartet Report, which was another exercise in colonial bias, Abbas has once again resorted to promoting the French initiative – this time to African Union member states during the 27th summit of the union held in Rwanda.

According to Ma’an news agency, Abbas committed the usual overtures leading to cyclical discourse in which efforts to support Palestinian autonomy were praised and later relegated to the sidelines in order to plead for collaboration in international interference. During his speech to the African Union, he insisted: “Our hands are extended for peace with our neighbours, to be achieved through legal and peaceful means based on international resolutions.” He urged the organisation to support France’s diplomatic endeavours, despite widespread criticism by Palestinian factions. Indeed, the only entities seemingly enamoured by the debacle have been the PA and the EU since it promoted nothing innovative but requires adherence to the two-state compromise.

Not only has Abbas once again ridiculed Palestinian resistance and anti-colonial struggle; he has also promoted colonial collaboration on a continent that has experienced colonial violence and plunder, while still reaping the effects of its aftermath, including contemporary attempts through military endeavours such as AFRICOM.

African Union support for Palestine is also tied to the two-state compromise, as articulated in the 16th annual summit held in Ethiopia in 2011, in which the AU Executive Council’s draft resolution proposal followed the internationally-disseminated paradigm. Hence it can be argued that the platform offered to Abbas is also compromised, given its lack of support for the Palestinian anti-colonial struggle despite the continent’s history.

However, this could have been an opportunity to highlight the Palestinian struggle against Israeli colonial violence. Instead, Abbas’ performance was reminiscent of previous appearances at the UN, where despite headlines speculating intermittent “bombshells”, rhetoric was based upon collaboration, subjugation and weak threats to cease security coordination with Israel. Rather than promoting Palestinian aspirations for liberation from colonialism, Abbas chose to subjugate Palestinians into the passive role of spectators even within a framework that, despite its tendency to follow international dictates such as the two-state compromise, could have promoted the Palestinian cause to an audience whose diplomacy might mingle with sentience.

Instead, Abbas opted for lauding France and its duplicitous role when it comes to Palestine, signalling, as usual, that for the PA value lies in blatant compromise and its promotion. The premise seems to be one of international corruption intended to isolate Palestinians at all costs. Diplomatically, the PA is at a slightly less marginalised level due to the international community necessitating a semblance of a political entity in order to propagate their impositions without objections or disruptions. Its functionality is entirely dependent upon the progress of colonial expansion, which is why it consistently seeks opportunities to betray the Palestinian cause.  Choosing the AU as its latest platform is proof not only of the extent the PA is willing to indulge in the treacherous conspiracy of miring Palestinians in oblivion, but also how previous colonies are unable, or unwilling, to delve into their history in order to enact internationalist solidarity with Palestinians away from the two-state compromise.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.