RAMALLAH, West Bank — “Unsurprising” and “underwhelming” appear to best characterize the speech delivered by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Jan. 6 that led to widespread expressions of frustration among the Palestinian populace. In light of the political dead-end with the Israelis, everyone — except perhaps the Fatah movement that Abbas leads — had expected, or hoped for, a speech announcing potentially game-changing decisions or at least a way to move the Palestinian cause forward, beyond its current crisis.
Abbas in the speech reaffirmed the Palestinian leadership’s commitment to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its affiliated institutions, which he presented as a national achievement. In light of Israel's refusal to cease settlement building and return to the negotiating table, Abbas called for an international conference to compel Israeli compliance with resolutions related to the Palestinian issue. He also proposed that Hamas and other factions agree on the formation of a national unity government and take part in legislative and presidential elections, which he alleged Hamas was avoiding for fear of failure.
Responding to the speech, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said that Abbas had failed to rise to Palestinians’ expectations for some clear decisions from their leadership, particularly in regard to relations with Israel. The faction also complained about Abbas' failure to express support for the intifada, ongoing since early October, which the various components of Palestinian society back as resistance against Israel.
One PFLP leader, Kayed al-Ghoul, told Al-Monitor that the speech had been a means to dispel rumors that Abbas was suffering from major health problems and to respond to Israeli assertions that the collapse of the PA is a foregone conclusion. Ghoul stated, “The president’s speech was lacking and devoid of the substance that we expected.” He also thought it unlikely that an upcoming meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Central Committee would lead to decisions capable of rescuing the Palestinian cause from internal division and the failure of negotiations with Israel.
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