Yesterday Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas spoke at the UN General Assembly in New York City. He raged against his usual targets and made it clear, yet again, he has no interest in real peace with Israel. Here's a quick recap:
In his speech before the council, Abbas claimed that the Palestinians are “the descendants of the Canaanites that lived in the land of Palestine 5,000 years ago and continuously remained there to this day.” We know of no evidence to support this assertion—though we’re aware of some evidence to the contrary. It’s an appeal, albeit an untrue one, to his increasingly radical base of supporters and a deliberate attempt to antagonize Israel by challenging the historical foundation on which the nation is based. Israel’s minister of education, Naftali Bennett, fired back: Abbas should “focus not on building an imaginary past, but rather on creating a practical future.” “A nation inventing its past,” Bennett said, “has no future.”
Abbas concluded his speech with a list of demands that included a “suspension of the decision regarding Jerusalem and halting [the] transfer of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.” It’s convenient for Abbas to suggest a condition to which he knows the United States won’t accede. It allows him to do what he does best—walk away from the table.
UN Ambassador Nikki Haley respectfully listened to his remarks, but Abbas didn't offer her the same. Instead, he stormed out of the chamber before she spoke.
"I will decline the advice I was recently given by your top [Palestinian] negotiator, Saeb Erekat. I will not shut up. Rather, I will respectfully speak some hard truths," Haley directed to Abbas.
Maybe he left the room because he knew he couldn't handle in the incoming beating...
She also made it clear the United States would not rescind its decision to name Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel. In others words, she told Abbas to deal with it and to show up next time if he wants to negotiate.
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