Palestinian officials turn the tables on Israel, claim Defense Minister Liberman blamed Abbas in order to deflect attention away from IDF’s own misdoings in Gaza
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman accused Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of seeking to create a “direct conflict” between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip. Liberman claimed in a television interview that Abbas is trying to use Israel as a conduit through which to punish Hamas, which the Palestinian chief blames for last week’s attempted assassination of PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and General Intelligence head Majed Faraj.
“[Abbas] is taking advantage of the attempt on Hamdallah’s motorcade [in Gaza]. Abu Mazen [Abbas’ nom de guerre] is going to stop all financing for Gaza, including electricity, water, health services and wages,” the Israeli defense chief asserted, before contending that the PA leader was trying to inflame tensions in order to deflect attention away from his own actions and onto Israel.
“He is trying to make the situation worse, because at the moment when he ceases all payments, including for humanitarian requirements, it is clear that things will [deteriorate],” Liberman concluded.
Azzam Al-Ahmad, head of the Central Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)—the umbrella group recognized by the international community as the voice of the Palestinian people—stressed to The Media Line that Abbas would never use Israel as a tool or weapon against his own population. “Liberman’s statements have no value and are not worth replying to—we are not children that are about to [damage] our own people,” he explained, adding that Abbas has never imposed sanctions on Gaza but, rather, has implemented various policies to pressure Hamas to end the intra-Palestinian division by committing to reconciliation agreements signed with Fatah, Abbas’ political faction which is the dominant force in the PA.
As regards the attempted assassination of top PA figures, Al-Ahmad noted that an investigation is still ongoing and that the West Bank leadership “will act upon the final results.”
Nabil Shaath, a senior Abbas aide who serves on the PLO Executive Committee, completely turned the tables on Israel, describing Liberman’s statements as “provocative” and accusing the official of targeting Abbas in a bid to downplay the Israeli military’s own responsibility for the situation in Gaza. “Israel has enforced a siege on the Strip for years and attacked [the Palestinian enclave] several times—Abbas has done nothing of the sort,” he affirmed to The Media Line. “[Liberman] takes advantage of any situation to accuse Palestinians of terrorism but he is the biggest instigator of terrorism.”
When asked about efforts to jump-start peace talks with Israel, Shaath said that the PA has been negotiating in good faith for a quarter century but that this has yielded no results on the ground. “Israel doesn’t abide by any of its obligations, thereby preventing any future solution, and now it is campaigning against Abbas.”
According to Gonen Ben-Itzhak, a former operative in Israel’s Mossad spy agency, there is, in fact, a campaign underway in Israel to delegitimize Abbas. “I don’t think Abbas is working towards having Israel attack Hamas, as the [PA leader] is honest and wants to achieve peace while fighting terrorism.” Instead, he suggested, Liberman’s actions are driven by a desire to empower exiled former Fatah strongman and Abbas rival Mohamed Dahlan, with whom the Israeli defense minister allegedly maintains a direct channel of communication.
“Abbas forms the biggest threat,” Ben-Itzhak elaborated, “because when it comes to Hamas, Israel can clearly say we don’t want to make peace with a terrorist organization, but with Abbas they can’t because he wants peace.”
Hanna Issa, a Palestinian political analyst, agrees with the assessment that Abbas is committed to non-violence and to cooperating with Israel. “Abbas treats Palestinians equally regardless of whether they are in the West Bank, Gaza or abroad in Arab countries,” he told The Media Line. “Abu Mazen would never assume the approach Liberman is promoting.”
Issa urged the international community to recognize that attacks on Abbas are meant to impact negatively on the Palestinian people as a whole by ending any chances of forging national unity.