Abbas Takes Shot at Obama, Prevented Intifada

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will unequivocally attempt to prevent the launching of a third intifada, a prospect bolstered by recent polls that showed a stark improvement in his popularity among Palestinians. Abbas, speaking in a 60-minute interview with the Wall Street Journal, promised that no intifada would erupt under his watch, saying he prevented an intifada during Operation Cast Lead at the end of last year. In the interview, Abbas said:

“I will not allow a new intifada. As long as I’m in office, I will not allow anybody to start a new intifada. Never never. But if I leave, it’s no longer my responsibility and I can’t make any guarantees. It could happen. It’s not my business to follow up. I promise and I can do. And I already promised and I did during the invasion of Gaza. At that time everybody asked me to go to a third intifada, but I prevented anybody from doing it.

The evidence is that in three years it hasn’t happened. The evidence is that every day there are provocations and there hasn’t been a violent response. So I have control of matters and I am confident that I can control things as long as I’m in office.”

Abbas makes a slew of other assertions (such as that he presented Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak with a fair deal on settlements that was rejected), but a substantially telling claim by the Palestinian leader appears to be a direct shot at President Barack Obama. In terms of U.S. role in the peace process, Abbas says he simply wants the United States to put negotiations on “track” through a settlement freeze. Acknowledging Obama attempted this strategy, Abbas simply states “and he couldn’t do that.”

Abbas squarely puts partial blame for his resignation on the Obama administration for failing to obtain concessions from Israel. Abbas said:

“When we began to implement the road map they were always asking me, do this, do that, do this. We have done everything that was required of us under the first stage of the road map. We said to the Americans, now tell the Israelis to do their parts. And they said we will ask them. And what happened in the end is we did everything that was asked of us and the Israelis didn’t do a single thing. As long as something clear is asked of me and I did it, then America should now ask Israel to do its part. That hasn’t happened and that’s why I’m not running for reelection.”

In further comments on his expected resignation, Abbas refuses to make any endorsements. Imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti has long been touted as a potential successor to Abbas and he could obtain broad support from both Fatah and Hamas supporters. Recent polls suggest that Barghouti would garner enough support needed to significantly bolster his prospects for winning in an election, however reports indicate that Barghouti will likely not be freed in a prisoner exchange and, if he is, the Israeli government would insist on his deportation. Regarding Barghouti, Abbas said:

“I don’t have a candidate. It’s not for me to tell the Palestinian people to elect a specific person. It’s for the Palestinian people to decide. If Marwan runs, he is a man who has a good reputation and a good history of resistance, and it’s not out of the question that he will run. But the matter is in the hands of the voters, not in my hand, and the door is open for anyone to run. I don’t have a candidate.”