The Occupation Tour 2017
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has been on his “Occupation” tour to all the countries that he believes will put pressure on the US to rescind the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and stop the embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Abbas has made statements to the media that he or his government will ‘never’ recognize the state of Israel. Abbas is laying waste any opportunity of negotiating a peace agreement with Israel. There will come a point when Abbas will end all negotiations with Israel. And as he is approaching this tipping point, he is blaming Israel and the US for ending the peace process.
Abbas is again, attempting to promote this ruse that the US and Israel have entered into an agreement, that ‘puts an end to negotiations.’ The truth is that President Abbas has never wanted to negotiate a peace agreement! Abbas knows that the demands he has been advertising in the media will be subject to compromise, and compromise is unacceptable to the “Palestinian people.” This tour, that Abbas has dedicated himself to, exposes the fact that he has found another way of avoiding peace with Israel and of his disdain for the State of Israel, and the US.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley stated to the UN General Assembly, “The decision (to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital) does not prejudge any final status issues, including Jerusalem’s boundaries. The decision does not preclude a two-state solution, if the parties agree to that,” she said. “The decision does nothing to harm peace efforts. Rather, the president’s decision reflects the will of the American people and our right as a nation to choose the location of our embassy.”
The US Ambassador once again explained that the US decision does not define Jerusalem’s boundaries and that the US has a sovereign right to move its embassy. How many times does that statement need to be explained? One thing is clear, Abbas is making every effort to interpret the US Ambassador’s words to fit his narrative. This tactic, on its surface is giving him a sympathetic ear in the United Nations, but to what end? Abbas is attempting to maneuver countries into condemning Israel and the US. The Jewish people have been isolated once before and could not defend themselves. The United States will stand with Israel and together will not allow history to repeat itself.
A spokesman for PA President Mahmoud Abbas said “The vote is a victory for Palestine,” and promised that the Palestinians would “continue our efforts in the United Nations and at all international forums to put an end to this occupation and to establish our Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.”
There is no state of Palestine, no occupation by the Israel, these statements are simply another narrative that Abbas continues to repeat that have no basis in truth. They slide off the tongue of Abbas with such conviction, but the claims are just polished declarations. To hear President Abbas in his victory lap one might believe that the vote in the General Assembly was legally binding. Although this non-binding resolution that has no legal status, it does however reveal just how many countries do not support Israel.
Typically, a country is established, then it choses it’s capital. America was founded on July 4, 1776 and Washington DC was named its capital on July 16, 1790. Abbas is claiming his capital before he has established a country. David Ben-Gurion claimed Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital in 1949, a year after the State of Israel was re-established. So, now the recognition of Jerusalem by the US although historically important, is just a little late.
This is another example of Abbas, painting the floor of a room starting at the doorway, backing himself into a corner, all the while admiring his work.
Len Watts IPS News Jerusalem (IPAnews.com) 12/22/2017 Contributing to the Article: Times of Israel
