Is Obama Going To Make Abbas Lose Face Again?

In the past, after all, the PA negotiated with Israel even as the bulldozers were working in the West Bank and as entirely new neighborhoods like Har Homa were being built in Jerusalem.
Khaled Abu Toameh

At a time when there is speculation that the Mideast peace talks are about to fail because of the settlement issue, Toameh reported yesterday that in fact Abbas has agreed to accept a 'modified' freeze of the settlements and not the complete freeze that he has been publicly insisting on:

In recent days, for all the rhetoric, there have been signs that the PA leaders seem to realize that construction in the settlements and Jerusalem will resume in one way or another.

According to informed sources in Ramallah, the PA leadership has no choice but to accept a partial freeze – one where Israel would continue to build quietly while the PA turns a blind eye.

However, Toameh indicates that this is not necessarily good news. After all, Abbas's position among his own people is weak to begin with, and being perceived as having backed down--rather than as having negotiated a compromise--is not going to help:

The PA’s credibility among Palestinians has already suffered a major setback because of its agreement to launch direct talks with Israel unconditionally.

Abbas and the PA leadership had for many months been promising the Palestinians that they would never enter direct talks with Israel unless Israel halted construction in the settlements and east Jerusalem neighborhoods.

Under heavy pressure from the Obama administration, this precondition was dropped, along with others it had set over the past few months.

Now it seems highly unlikely that the Palestinians will indeed carry out their threat to walk out of the direct talks if the freeze is not extended at the end of the month. And that will further damage what’s left of the PA leadership’s credibility among its constituents.

This is not the first time the Obama administration has pressured Abbas into a position that makes him look weak in the eyes of his own people. Remember the heat Abbas took for agreeing to a delay of the vote on the Goldstone Report?

It's hard to tell which leader the Obama administration is messing with more--Netanyahu or Abbas. The difference is: in the case of Abbas, it is unintentional.

hat tip: Arlene Kushner

Technorati Tag: Mideast Peace Talks and Abbas.