Near the end of his 800-page book on The Missing PeaceRead the whole thing., in a chapter entitled “Learning the Lessons of the Past,” Dennis Ross wrote that:
Whenever my exasperation with Arafat was reaching its limits, [Mahmoud Abbas], Abu Ala, or [others] … would remind me that only Arafat had the moral authority among Palestinians to compromise on Jerusalem, refugees, and borders. … “Remember, he is the only one who can concede on fundamental issues.” Often [Abbas] … or other Palestinian negotiators would tell me, “You prefer dealing with us because you see us as more moderate, but we cannot deliver, only he can.” [emphasis added]
Considering that it was not so clear that even Arafat could deliver on any kind of compromise, it is not surprising that Abbas had difficulty even delivering on showing up.
Technorati Tag: Mideast Peace Talks and Abbas.
1 comment:
No Palestinian leader today wields the kind of authority Arafat had.
Which begs the question: if Arafat could not agree to a compromise peace with Israel, then the odds his more diminished successor could were practically nil.
And given that Abu Bluff lacks a mandate to even make peace, it would be surprising he could deliver any kind of compromise agreement to his own people at all today.
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