Palestine's Abbas despised by Arab world, says Egypt academic 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has lost his credibility and respect among the Arab world, an Egyptian politician said yesterday.

Hassan Nafaa, political science professor at Cairo University, told Al-Resalah news site that there was no “valid reason for Abbas to meet [Israeli Defence Minister] Gantz, at a time when the Israeli policies have not changed and crimes against Palestinians have not stopped.”

“I do not see any logic or explanation for the meeting, except that the authority is shackled, which is a misery in itself,” Nafaa added, noting that any one who sees Israel as a real threat, “no longer respects Abbas.”

The Egyptian professor described the meeting as “shocking, illogical and incomprehensible.”

Abbas met Gantz in his house on Tuesday to allegedly discuss security and civil matters. The Palestian factions described the move as a “stab on the Palestinain side.”

READ: Palestinian factions decry Abbas-Gantz meeting