Wow, this is best coverage I’ve encountered thus far on Palestinian Unity reportage. Thanks to Noam Sheizaf @ the essential +972. Abbas seems to have strengthened his cojones, perhaps because he realizes he has nothing left to lose. At a meeting of businessmen and veteran security officials including former head of Mossad, Danny Yatom, and former head of Palestinian security, Jabril Rajoub, Abbas was startlingly forthcoming.
“I have met Netanyahu in Washington and in Jerusalem, and it led to nothing,” Abbas said. “All he wants to talk about is security. I understand the Israeli concern, but I won’t have Israeli forces in the Palestinian state. Netanyahu wanted an Israeli army in the West Bank for another forty years. That means the occupation continues.”
Abbas declared that he will not chose between Hamas and the peace process, as Netanyahu demands. “Hamas is a part of the Palestinian people, whether one likes them or not. They are a part of our people. You, Mr. Netanyahu, are our partner. We don’t need to choose. It’s you, Netanyahu, that needs to make a choice between peace and settlements.”
I like the sound of that.
Abbas refused to say if Prime Minister Salam Fayyad will continue to lead the Palestinian government, claiming that details of the reconciliation agreement haven’t been finalized. Yet rumors among the journalists in Ramallah were that the agreement has taken Fayyad by surprise, and that he only learned of it a short time before the deal was made public.
Fayyad taken by surprise? I recommend the entire article for other choice quotes, especially from Saeb Erekat.
Just a personal note here to relate how much esteem I have for +972mag and all the amazing writers and activists bringing us news from the front lines. Like I mentioned earlier, essential.
