Abbas or Bust?

The announcement by Palestinian President Abbas that he will not stand for election in January is, in effect, an announcement of deferment of the next test of democratic opinion among the Paleastinian people. Abbas' paymasters in Washington boobed disastrously when they persuaded him to soft-pedal in his reaction to the UN Report on 'War Crimes' in Gaza - while Israelis were extending settlements in the West Bank and expropriating householders in East Jerusalem - and his pretension to be the 'least-worst' option for his people became untenable. His prompt volte face reduced his standing still further, and his subsequent meeting with Secretary of State Clinton was immediately followed by her visit to Israel in which she was reported to have confirmed that the US would take no action to deter the settlements and expropriations.

Abbas should perhaps begin now on his next career as an US chat-show host; following in the footsteps of the defeated Sitting Bull who appeared in the nineteenth-century equivalent: Buffalo Bill's Circus. Why should I draw that particular analogy? The answer lies in the Levantine Lozenge accessible via this site.

Early Reward for Early Failure?

It has become evident that the Israelis have already stymied President Obama's assertion that settlement building on the West Bank must cease. All that remains to be negotiated is the form of words in which the US climb-down is to be wrapped.
Until October 9 it would have been possible to seek to embarrass the President into having at least one more big push on this point. Now, as a beatified peacemaker, he can assume a mantle of infallibility and allow the greater force to suppress the residue of the Palestinian community.
The Palestinians have been appallingly led for generations; therefore they need the support of respected international figures. Obama could have been a leader in that process. The absurdly premature award of the Nobel Peace Prize has undermined his credibility.
To be honoued with 'clouds of glory' before he has survived his 'baptism of fire' is the worst possible way in which both Obama and the Palestinians could be served.