Abbas’ wasted opportunity at the AU Summit

Two contradictory approaches characterised PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ speech at the 27th annual summit of the African Union in Rwanda. Prior to the summit, Wafa reported that Abbas intended to mobilise support for Palestine and also seek talks with the aim of boosting mutual relations.

The intent became an extension of the farcical cycle characterising PA speeches at an international level. While asking African countries to refrain from bolstering ties with Israel, Abbas also urged African Union member to support the outcome of the international conference organised by France which reiterates the importance of committing to the two-state compromise.

The Times of Israel reported Abbas insisting that any relations with Israel “should not be done at the expense of the just cause of our Palestinian people, which still needs your help to get rid of the abhorrent Israeli occupation.” The plea was a reference to Israel’s recent overtures to African countries, in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to provide economic and agricultural aid in return for African diplomatic support. Such manipulation would have aided in countering the increasing trend of international criticism of Israel, despite the fact that there has been no shift from rhetoric to action on behalf of the international community.

Abbas insisted that Israel “is doing all it can to undermine the chances of establishing an independent Palestinian state” through its colonial expansion. As reference, the conclusions of the French conference were highlighted, once again prioritising international interference over Palestinian demands. The choice, as portrayed by Abbas, involved refusal to cooperate with Israel and a willingness to adhere to international impositions on Palestine, which have been proved to favour colonisation, rather than liberation.

As long as Abbas keeps propagating the misconception that the aspirations of the international community and the PA constitute a reflection of Palestinian demands, there is little chance that support for Palestine can be garnered in a tangible manner. The professed international support for Palestine is more a reflection of remnants rather than an affirmation of upholding human rights. Israel takes precedence in that arena on account of the mutually-generated impunity as well as economic and military benefits. The PA has acquiesced to the fact that Palestinians are only granted a sliver of compromised attention, which is grossly exaggerated to promote a veneer of solidarity.

By opting for a lesser approach, Abbas is aiding Netanyahu to define his foreign policy goals when it comes to Africa. The “importance” associated with Israel and which is consistently disseminated by the Israeli government and the international community has been garnered at the expense of Palestinians and the silencing of their plight – be it displacement, colonial expansion, appropriation of natural resources or ethnic cleansing.

What Abbas envisages after such pleas at the AU Summit cannot have a different outcome other than an extension of the policies that have fragmented Palestine. Partly because African countries are shackled by different forms of exploitation and therefore any support for Palestine will be a calculated effort. However, Abbas, as usual, squandered another opportunity where the audience would have had an alternative understanding of the deprivation enforced by Israel upon Palestinians. By asking the AU to support international demands, Israel has gained undeserved, additional leverage.

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