news

Abbas under pressure by Arab states to ‘end Trump boycott’

Moderate Arab states urge Mahmoud Abbas to meet with U.S. advisers Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt this week, saying that he is in no position to dictate terms to Washington.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas attend a joint press conference in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on May 23, 2017. Photo by Flash90.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas attend a joint press conference in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on May 23, 2017. Photo by Flash90.

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas is reportedly facing ‎substantial pressure to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump’s ‎top Middle East advisers this week, despite the rift between ‎Washington and Ramallah.‎

Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, and U.S. ‎Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason ‎Greenblatt, will visit Israel, Egypt and Jordan to discuss the ‎upcoming U.S. peace plan for the region. ‎

Abbas has rejected the ‎United States as a peace broker in the wake of ‎Trump’s Dec. 6 recognition of ‎Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, saying ‎the move proved the America was ‎‎“grossly biased” towards Israel.‎

Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh told Palestinian media ‎Sunday that Kushner and Greenblatt’s visit is “a waste of time,” ‎and that the U.S. peace plan is “doomed to fail.”

He claimed that the White House is trying to “separate the ‎Gaza Strip from the West Bank,” and repeated that “without the ‎agreement of the Palestinian people and as long as an attempt to ‎circumvent the legitimate Palestinian institutions continues, the ‎meetings are destined to fail.”

Despite this, Palestinian officials told Israel Hayom Sunday that officials in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab ‎Emirates, Egypt and Jordan, as well as top officials in the ‎Palestinian Authority itself, are pressuring Abbas to meet with the ‎American envoys. ‎

‎“Discussing the U.S. peace proposal does not obligate the P.A. to ‎anything, but it would be wise to hear the details before rejecting it ‎outright,” one Palestinian official said. ‎

Abbas has conditioned any meeting with U.S. officials on ‎Washington rescinding its recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli ‎capital and canceling its embassy move there. ‎

Arab diplomats said the Palestinian leader is likely to ‎compromise and discuss the new ‎American peace plan, ‎albeit under protest.

‎“The statements by Abu Mazen [Abbas] and his associates in the ‎Arab and Palestinian media against the Trump administration plan ‎are intended for the Palestinian public’s ears,” a senior P.A. ‎official told Israel Hayom. ‎

‎“Abu Mazen doesn’t have many options. Eventually, he will have to ‎climb down the tree, compromise and accept the American plan. ‎This is just a proposal, and all the parties have told him that he can’t ‎automatically reject it before studying it,” the official said.‎

Another Palestinian official told Israel that the Palestinian Authority is wary of potential punitive action the U.S. may take against ‎Ramallah, especially given Trump’s unwavering stance against ‎Iran and North Korea on nuclear weapons, and against the European Union and ‎other U.S. allies on issues such as trade tariffs.‎

‎“The Palestinian leadership is preoccupied with a power struggle ‎that is being waged behind the scenes over the post-Abbas era,” ‎he said, referring to the ailing 82-year-old leader’s ‎refusal to name a successor.‎

‎“Officials in the moderate Arab states and in Washington have ‎made it clear to Abbas that rejecting the U.S. peace plan and the ‎continued boycotting of Trump’s envoys will come back to bite ‎them, and that this is a strategic mistake given President Trump’s ‎hard-line policies and the support he has among the moderate Arab ‎states.”

A third P.A. official confirmed that senior Saudi and UAE officials have made it clear to Abbas that they support the ‎American peace plan, and are willing to offer the Palestinians ‎diplomatic and financial guarantees to ensure they return to the ‎negotiating table.‎

‎“Abu Mazen has held quite a few conversations with senior officials ‎in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Cairo and Amman and he was told, in no ‎uncertain terms, that he has to at least listen to what the American ‎plan includes. He was also assured that he would receive their [the ‎moderate Arab states’] backing for any reservations he might have ‎about the plan,” said the official. ‎

‎“The main message was that the Palestinian Authority had to listen ‎to the American proposal because Abu Mazen is in no position to ‎dictate terms like who he will or won’t speak with. He will receive ‎the Arab nations’ support as long as his decisions are rational and ‎strategic. ‎

‎”The direction in which Abu Mazen is leading the P.A. is diplomatic ‎suicide that the Palestinians are likely to regret for generations to ‎come. We have already seen that Trump is not ‎‎[previous President Barack] Obama. It’s high time Abu Mazen understood that as ‎well.”

You have read 3 articles this month.
Register to receive full access to JNS.

Just before you scroll on...

Israel is at war. JNS is combating the stream of misinformation on Israel with real, honest and factual reporting. In order to deliver this in-depth, unbiased coverage of Israel and the Jewish world, we rely on readers like you. The support you provide allows our journalists to deliver the truth, free from bias and hidden agendas. Can we count on your support? Every contribution, big or small, helps JNS.org remain a trusted source of news you can rely on.

Become a part of our mission by donating today
Comments
Thank you. You are a loyal JNS Reader.
You have read more than 10 articles this month.
Please register for full access to continue reading and post comments.