Not So Fast Matt

Reader comment on: The Real Disconnect in the Peace Process

Submitted by Michael Chenkin (United States), Jan 25, 2011 20:34

The idea that the recent exposure of documents on Al-Jezeera will hurt the PA may be true, but it is more likely that these papers were leaked by the PA itself as the leak serves PA interests.

Mahmoud Abbas has been absolutely dependent upon foreign aid to remain head of the PA (and perhaps even to keep his head on his shoulders). He therefore needed to give the Americans what they wanted, namely, the delusion that American sponsored "peace" talks were making progress. This required making satisfactory concessions knowing full well that when push came to shove he would claim that he could never sell these concessions to the Arab population.

So why are the documents leaked now and do they hurt the PA. In the context of active PA plans to unilaterally declare a state these documents do not hurt the PA, they liberate the PA from the prior concessions that it never had any intention of keeping. Now that the concessions are public and there is a public outcry against them, Abbas can simply say these concessions are unacceptable to his people, and he is then free to declare a PA state that does not take into account any of his previous concessions.

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