Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas faces increased domestic opposition for his ordering of a delayed consideration of the Goldstone report into alleged war crimes during the Gaza War. Abbas defended his actions, stating:
“I gave directives to [PLO Ambassador] Ibrahim Khreisha to find a way to re-submit the Goldstone report, and a week later he did. The report was discussed, and was approved. Where’s the treason they accuse us of?…
“When the Goldstone report was released, we agreed on it and welcomed it… Arab countries proposed a high-level resolution be submitted to the UN Human Rights Council that protects our rights, and it was opposed by Europe, the US, China, and Russia. Then, the US suggested a very low-level resolution which holds us responsible for the war on Gaza. Neither resolution was passed…
“It was necessary to find a compromise. We found that it would be better to defer discussion of the report.”
In the wake of the scandal, Abbas’ popularity dropped in a recent poll conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Centre. In a head to head Presidential election, the poll found that Abbas would only receive 16.8-percent of the vote while Hamas head Ismail Haniyeh would come in a close second with 16-percent of the vote. However, Abbas’ overall popularity dropped nearly six points since June to 12.1-percent.
The poll also found that Palestinian confidence in the Obama administration’s efforts dropped significantly, with only 23.7-percent of those interviewed believing the efforts would bring peace compared to 35.4-percent last June.
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