Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is at a crossroad. The bitter Israeli-Palestinian dispute has for long been dragging on endlessly. One after another peace talks have been held, but everything appears to be stagnated at square one. It is so much so that the embattled Palestinian leader has threatened to resign should the upcoming peace negotiations in Annapolis in the United States fail to deliver any fruitful solution to the age-old problem.
After a string of failed peace efforts by the US, President Abbas’s frustration is understandable. The US leans towards Israel in the controversial matter although it tries to project itself as neutral. It is this dual character of the Bush administration that Mr. Abbas doesn’t like.
The Annapolis peace conference is expected by many to be a failure. Palestine is in a mess with neither Fatah nor Hamas ready to concede. Palestine depends on the international community for food and other relief aid and the continuing dispute with Israel is proving one scar too many.
A few days ago, Israeli leader Mr. Ehud Olmert hinted at the division of the holy city of Jerusalem between the Israelis and the Palestinians. This is perceived by many observers as a closer step towards the creation of a Palestinian, which the US believes is the ultimate solution to the problem.
Mr. Abbas is also concerned about the suspected infiltration of the Gaza Strip by al Qaeda and other militant organizations. Although he is quite proud of the fact that his Fatah security forces have been able to stop the infiltration of militants into Israeli cities, he is worried that his own region could pay the price.
Although it would be hard to hard no to be pessimistic about one more peace effort to secure a solution to the Middle East crisis, at least one can hope that at least the Israeli and Palestinian authorities can agree on certain points.
Image Source: MSNBC
Source: Ipost
