Criticism of Abbas for Resolution Strategy is More Pragmatic than Critics Realize

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is coming under intense criticism from across the political spectrum for suggesting that he might hold-off on pursuing the Palestinian resolution drafted for the United Nations Security Council and instead defer to the French initiative. But his critics have apparently lost sight of the pragmatism that is dictating the change in course. The Palestinian draft focuses on declaring Israeli building in areas it conquered in the 1967 war to be illegal and demanding an end to what Palestinians – and much of the world community — call “the occupation.” The French initiative which is being submitted at roughly the same time calls for an international peace conference to be held this summer predicated upon a return to pre-1967 borders and a timetable for concluding an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The previous foreign minister added a threat that France would offer full recognition of a Palestinian state if its initiative is rejected or fails. Observers in the region and at the UN suggest that despite the effort Abbas and the PA have expended on promoting their resolution, it has failed to generate a great deal of excitement whereas the French initiative arguably has a better chance of succeeding. Also, they argue, having two resolutions on the table together will harm the chances of either being successfully passed by the Security Council. The Palestinians also believe it is possible that President Obama is ready to forego casting a veto to support Israel’s opposition to a UNSC resolution and if that is the case, he is more likely to support the French initiative than the Palestinian gambit.