Bassam Tawil • April 26, 2017
(Bassam Tawil is a Palestinian Human Rights activist)
- As Abbas and his advisors prepare for the
May 3 meeting with Trump, thousands of Palestinians gathered in Ramallah
to call on Arab armies to "liberate Palestine, from the (Jordan)
river to the (Mediterranean) sea." The Palestinians also called for
replacing Israel with an Islamic Caliphate.
- It is possible that deep inside, Abbas and
many of his top aides identify with the goals of Hizb ut Tahrir, namely
the elimination of Israel. Abbas also wishes to use these Islamic
extremists to depict himself as the "good guy" versus the
"bad guys." This is a ploy intended to dupe Westerners into giving
him more funds "out of fear that the Islamists may take over."
- Abbas's claim that he seeks a just and
comprehensive peace with Israel is refuted by fact after fact on the
ground. His sweet-talk about peace and the two-state solution will have
far less impact on Palestinians than the voices of Hizb ut Tahrir and its
sister groups, which strive to "liberate Palestine, from the river to
the sea."
Westerners often refer to Ramallah as a modern and
liberal city dominated by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction. The
city boasts fancy restaurants and bars where alcohol is served freely to men
and women in Western dress, who sit together to eat and to smoke water pipes (nargilas).
But the scenes on the streets of Ramallah,
headquarters of Abbas's Palestinian Authority (PA) last week broadcast a rather
different message -- one that calls for the elimination of Israel. The message
came on the eve of Abbas's visit to the White House for his first meeting with
US President Donald Trump.
According to PA officials, Abbas is scheduled to
affirm during the meeting with Trump his commitment to the two-state solution
and a "comprehensive and just peace" with Israel.
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