Since despite having angered President Obama, the Israelis have succeeded in rejecting his demand that they halt settlements on Palestinian land, is it time the Palestinians took a page from Israel’s book and anger President Obama as well?
According to K. Selim of Algeria’s Le Quotidien d’Oran, by failing to reject Obama’s request to have his photo taken with Israeli Leader Benjamin Netanyahu last week, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas made only the latest in decades of tactical mistakes on the part of Palestinian and Arab leaders.
For Le Quotidien d’Oran, K. Selim writes in part:
“Electorally speaking, a photo with an Israeli Prime Minister who has made it clear to Obama that he will continue to colonize Palestinian territory and who will never accept anything but Bantustans while conceding to call them a ‘State,’ is disastrous.
“Could Mahmoud Abbas have refused to take part in this manipulated photo? Theoretically, yes. He is indeed the leader of Fatah, ‘Movement for the Liberation of Palestine.’ … To have refused to have his picture taken with Benjamin Netanyahu would have been a sign of ‘peaceful resistance,’ the only risk of which would have been angering the American administration. But this could hardly be considered a ‘risk.'”
“On the contrary, it was necessary to ‘anger’ Obama to demonstrate to him that his little speech declaring a refusal to acknowledge ‘the legitimacy of the continued pursuit of settlements’ was far too accommodating. … Mahmoud Abbas and his team of “eternal negotiators” cannot ignore the fact that the worst provocation of all is the Israeli occupation and colonization. They should have seen in Israel’s arrogant refusal to allow Obama to save face on the subject of colonization, the evidence that “angering” the administration is a necessity.”
By K. Selim
Translated By Juliet Fox
September 26, 2009
Algeria – Le Quotidien d’Oran- Original Article (French)
They needed a photo, and they got a photo. Barack Obama, Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas posed together for a photo in New York. One can easily imagine the false legend this was meant to suggest: that the peace process still exists. Of the three who posed, the head of the very problematic “Palestinian Authority” has the most to lose. He and his aides made it known that they wouldn’t meet Netanyahu just for a photo-op. And yet he posed for the sad picture. Of course, it was difficult to deny the American administration that insisted upon it.
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