Alquds: Abbas is considering dismantling the P.A.

Aziz Abu Sarah By Aziz Abu Sarah September 23, 2011 | Edit

According to Alquds newspaper, on September 14, President Mahmoud Abbas had a confrontational meeting with Tony Blair, the current Quartet envoy. During the meeting, which took place in Amman, Abbas presented Blair with a possible plan B should the Palestinian UN bid fails

Alquds quoted Abbas as saying, “I will return to the Palestinian leadership, which will make a decision on whether the time has come for Israel to re-assume its responsibility as an occupying authority.” He also said, “We will not keep the Palestinian Authority as a name.”

Yesterday, the Palestinian Authority president called upon the international community to recognize the right of the Palestinian people to an independent state.

Abbas’s speech at the UN hinted at this consideration when he said, “This settlement policy threatens to also undermine the structure of the Palestinian National Authority and even end its existence.”

This is the reality that is absent from many Israelis minds. The two-state solution is not going to last forever. Abbas and the PLO leaders understand that they cannot continue sailing in a sinking ship. The two-state solution is a sinking ship and only a few are trying save it. We are at a historic moment that would define the future of the Israeli-Palestinian relationship.

Alquds also reported that Tony Blair presented President Abbas with a draft proposal to end the peace process stalemate. However Abbas was quick to reject Blair’s proposal for its bias toward Israel.

The proposal demanded Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, which is something the PLO has rejected. It also referred to the 1967 borders, but considered them unrealistic and should be finalized in an agreement between the two parties.

The proposal failed to mention the settlements in any form, but it did include a call for the Palestinian leadership to drop its quest for membership at the United Nations.

According to Alquds, President Abbas asked Blair if the proposal was written by one of Netanyahu’s aides.

Aziz Abu Sarah

Aziz Abu Sarah is a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem who divides his time between Jerusalem and Washington D.C. Aziz is a columnist with Al Quds newspaper and is the co-executive director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. Aziz runs alternative tours to the Middle East with a focus on Israel and the West-Bank through MEJDI a social enterprise he co-founded.

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