Do talks strengthen Abbas?
To help Abbas ease off that position, on Wednesday a group of Arab League foreign ministers recommended that the Palestinians give indirect talks a chance. Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has criticized the Palestinian leadership’s shift. On the other hand, the ongoing hiatus in talks ultimately undermines Abbas’s advocacy of negotiations and strengthens the argument of that only armed resistance by Islamic militants against Israel will win sovereignty for the Palestinians. Mr. Raboo called on Israel to make a series of good faith gestures to the Palestinians, such as the release of prisoners, removing roadblocks, and easing the blockade on the Gaza Strip. “Abbas can say no for a little while,” says Scott Lasensky, a fellow at the US Institute for Peace. “But ultimately he can’t say no to an American invitation to negotiation, given his dependence on US economic aid, and given his own political platform.” — Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
