Well before the Trump administration peace plan for the region has even been unveiled, the Palestinian Authority government has already ramped up its population to demonstrate against the blueprint.
The first protest is set for Monday in Ramallah, ostensibly called by the “National and Islamic Forces,” who conveniently also urged citizens to express their support for the Abbas government, according to an article written by Arab affairs journalist Khaled Abu Toameh. Others are expected to follow in the coming weeks in various towns throughout the territories.
A Palestinian Authority government source told Abu Toameh that it is believed the “countdown for publicly announcing the Trump plan has begun,” and that is why the protests are beginning — because Abbas and other PA officials fear that such a plan will end the “Palestinian cause.”
As well it might, if there are enough Arabs in the Palestinian Authority and around the world who actually care about the quality of life they’re living.
If not, they can certainly join the attempt to destroy the nascent Trump peace plan via the social media campaign currently being waged. A spokesperson told Abu Toameh that three million people are allegedly involved in the effort to thwart the Trump plan, one way or another, so far.
“We are planning to expand our activity to as many places as possible in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and our lands that were occupied in 1948,” the spokesperson said — that last bit being a reference to the current State of Israel. “We are also hoping to win the support of Palestinians and Arabs living around the world until we achieve our goal.”
There is growing unrest among the Arabs in the Palestinian Authority, who are angry at Abbas for his refusal to lift the sanctions against Gaza, which include an end to salaries for thousands of civil servants there. He also suspended social service benefits for thousands of needy families in Gaza, choosing instead to continue to fund terrorists incarcerated in Israeli prisons and the families of those who were killed while attacking Israelis.
Palestinian Authority citizens may also be losing patience with a leader who no longer has a clear mandate to lead: Abbas was elected to a four-year term more than 10 years ago. He has rejected every peace plan he has ever been offered, regardless of the terms, and on Saturday, the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper reported that he has again refused to meet with U.S. senior presidential adviser Jared Kushner — in the presence of Arab leaders — to even discuss the Trump peace plan. The request was conveyed by the Egyptians, but Abbas turned it down flat, calling it an “American maneuver aimed at dragging the Palestinians to become part of the so-called ‘deal of the century.'”
If a deal is reached with other regional Arab leaders without his participation, Abbas will undoubtedly whine that a “solution” was imposed on his people. Yet he is unwilling to participate, or nor has he ever really been willing to consider any other plan long enough that it was given even a trial.
Sad are the people with no leadership, whose so-called leaders prefer war to peace, conflict to resolution, hate to friendship. It’s not a formula for success. No wonder they all try to leave.