“I am Yahweh; that is My Name! I will not give My glory to anyone else, nor share My praise with carved idols.” (Isaiah 42: 8)
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Mahmoud Abbas is Playing a Losing Hand
Take a look at this article by Ben Cohen: “Guatemalan Foreign Minister Stands Firm Against Arab Boycott Threat Over Jerusalem Embassy Move”. It helps to explain something about the behavior of Palestinian leaders that is lost on most Westerners:
Guatemala’s top diplomat shrugged off threats of an Arab boycott of her country on Thursday, affirming that the central American nation stood by its decision announced earlier this week to join the United States in moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
In an interview with The Algemeiner, Foreign Minister Sandra Jovel said that while the boycott threat from the PLO and Arab countries had been duly noted, it was being viewed in Guatemala mainly as a “media scare tactic.”
“This tactic is being used in the media by a small group with special interests who are opposed to our decision to move our embassy,” Jovel said. “But we’ve been strong in that decision, we trust that it was the correct decision, and we will continue to stand by it.”
Palestinians are Their Own Worst Enemy
According to the article, Palestinians threatened Guatemala with an “Arab boycott” if Guatemala followed the U.S. lead by moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The threat came from the Palestinian Authority, but it was delivered to the Guatemalan foreign minister on behalf of the united Arab peoples.
Jovel knows that Saudi Arabia has already gone on record by saying that the oil-rich kingdom will side with Israel if a problem develops between Israel and the Palestinians. Behind the scenes, leaders of other Arab countries (especially Jordan and Egypt) have let it be known that they are very unhappy with Mahmoud Abbas’ response to President Trump’s announcement. Their support keeps Abbas in power. If he loses their support, he’s toast.
Mahmoud Abbas doesn’t speak for Arabs. Leaders of key Arab countries have done everything they can do short of publicly humiliating Abbas to get his attention and make him behave rationally. So far, he has refused to change his ways. In fact, he has cozied up to Turkey and Iran hoping that their support will strengthen his hand.
Abbas’ gambit is destined to fail. Leaders of the most influential Arab countries don’t like or trust the Turks or the Iranians. Turkey’s President Erdogan is a Hitler wannabe. He has been trying to curry favor with Palestinians for more than a decade by provoking Israel and then jumping into the fray to demonstrate that he is the Palestinian savior. Erdogan’s efforts have failed because he is trying to recreate the Ottoman Empire and become the sultan, as it were. Arab leaders remember when Ottomans ruled the Middle East. It’s an era that they would sooner forget.
Iranians are not Arabs. They are Persians, but they behave like Palestinians. They once ruled the Middle East, too, and they are trying to recreate the Persian Empire. Right now, Iran is at war with Saudi Arabia in Yemen, and they are using Palestinians to advance their agenda—hegemony over the Middle East region. Arab leaders want no part of it.
Abbas is playing a losing hand. He parades on the world stage as though he represents Arabs, but he doesn’t even represent Palestinians. His own people don’t like him or trust him. Abbas is in a virtual war with Hamas, the other Palestinian political party. So, in a nutshell, Abbas is all alone except for public support from countries that Arab leaders detest.
Abbas’ behavior is typical Palestinian behavior. He comes on way too strong, and he doesn’t let up until he encounters overwhelming resistance. That’s why dealing with him is so difficult, and that’s why Arab leaders don’t want Palestinians in general in their countries. As a group, they are rabble-rousers and malcontents. Wherever they go, they bring mayhem. It’s part of their culture. The cost of having them around is just too high.
Thankfully, President Trump is getting a lesson in diplomacy from Abbas, and Israel is the beneficiary.
See “US Envoy: Palestinian Reaction to Trump Announcement is Ugly, Anti-Semitic”.
I’m not Blowing Smoke
I have been exploring Israel for 2 decades. Over the years, I’ve had hundreds of encounters with Palestinians that have informed my thinking. I have even worked with Palestinian and Israeli leaders together in security situations. With a few notable exceptions, I don’t trust Palestinians. Neither do Israeli leaders. Now, neither does President Trump.
At this point, I try to avoid Palestinian areas in Israel as much as I can: Jericho, the Temple Mount, the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, Hebron, and Bethlehem, for example. I can’t avoid ordinary Palestinians, and I don’t want to. They mingle in Jewish areas freely with no problems. I interact with them every day while I’m in Israel. From time-to-time, I have to go to places where Palestinians exercise control. When I do, I go straight to my destination, conduct my business, and leave immediately when I have completed my mission.
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“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17: 22-24)
See “His Name is Yahweh”.
