In a recent appearance at a forum on "Digital Life and Creativity," Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, presented a narrative that fundamentally misrepresents the relationship between the United States and Israel, while also levying unjust attacks on Israel's record concerning women's rights. These comments were reported by various Arabic-language news outlets as well as pro-Israel platforms, such as the Elder of Ziyon blog.
Abbas challenged Israel's status as an independent state by suggesting that the real occupying power in "Palestine" is not Israel but the United States. “When Israel says it celebrates its Independence Day, who got its independence from whom? That's a major fallacy,” Abbas remarked. This audacious assertion overlooks the historically verifiable independence of Israel, recognized internationally since 1948. By framing Israel as an American pawn, Abbas seeks to delegitimize the very basis of Israeli self-determination.
Mahmoud Abbas says that America, not Israel, occupies Palestine, and Israeli women are not allowed to demonstrate with men https://t.co/LLnsBs8Idy
— Elder of Ziyon 🇮🇱 (@elderofziyon) October 3, 2023
Abbas also sought to criticize Israel's record on women's rights, using a recent religious disagreement in Tel Aviv during Yom Kippur as his case point. Abbas claimed that women in Israel are prohibited from demonstrating alongside men "because they are of an impure sex." Such allegations are patently false; no such gender restrictions exist in Israel. Women have protested alongside men since the state’s inception, whether in pro-government or anti-government rallies. While it's true that Jewish law, or Halacha, mandates a gender barrier during prayers, this is strictly a religious context and not applicable in public, during protests, communal prayers or secular events.
These statements from Abbas come at a crucial juncture in Middle Eastern politics. Negotiations are underway for a security arrangement between Washington and Riyadh, which also includes prospects for Israeli-Saudi normalization and a potential interim agreement with the Palestinians. The United States aims to incorporate Palestinian concerns into the deal, and a forthcoming trip by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is seen as an opportunity to move this agenda forward. Despite this, sources in both Israel and Saudi Arabia say that the U.S. is focused on Palestine as part of a potential deal almost to the point of ensuring a deal never happens. The Palestinians have been critical of the Saudis and other Arab states who have warmed to Israel, taking on the Iranian narrative which alienates them in the Arab world.
'The mayor of Ramallah': Israel belittles Abbas' demands for Palestinians in Saudi deal Haaretz https://t.co/IyZUJ1BnL3 pic.twitter.com/Yj3jmu50SU
— Jewish Community (@JComm_NewsFeeds) October 3, 2023
The timing of Abbas's remarks is particularly perplexing given the ongoing efforts by Israel to financially stabilize the Palestinian Authority (PA). With cities like Jenin and Nablus becoming hotbeds for terror cells under Iranian influence, Israel has offered economic aid to the PA. This aid aims to quell financial crises and enables the PA to curb the growth of extremist factions like Islamic Jihad and Hamas within its territories. In a recent development, Israel reduced gasoline taxes for the PA, potentially saving them approximately 80 million shekels ($20 million) annually, as part of other measures estimated to help the Palestinian government to the tune of 270 million shekels ($70 million) this year.
Accounting measures, drop in gas tax boost Palestinian Authority coffers.
— Joseph Schwartz (@JJS4Tweet) October 3, 2023
Israel recently slashed the gasoline tax it had been collecting from the Palestinian Authority by 50% as well as taken other measures to ease the financial situation in Ramallah.
https://t.co/b0ubL3sokZ
Mahmoud Abbas's comments not only propagate misinformation but also distract from substantive efforts to improve conditions in the Palestinian territories. By misrepresenting Israel’s independence and its stance on women's rights, Abbas does a disservice to the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, thereby making a peaceful resolution more challenging to attain. It's crucial to counter such narrative strategies with factual integrity, given the sensitive geopolitical landscape that currently prevails in the Middle East.
