It is, of course, to be expected that nothing short of a man ready to give in to ALL Israeli demands, designs and ambitions will ever be deemed a satisfactory negotiating partner to you and to AIPAC/Obama!
Feckless, helpless, unprincipled, weak and irresolute as he is he, Abbas, seems to still have some blood and guts in him!
Understandably that is bound to displease you!

Neither that he EVER deserved it: being the historical godfather of the “political “, ie through “negotiations” ,road to a settlement; an approach that has been irrevocably proven to be not only futile BUT also proved to be counterproductive and destructive of the Palestinian cause.

Abbas, through his decades long influence first in Fatah then at the PA proved to be weak, divisive, indecisive, unprincipled , a source of comfort for both the Israel and the USA and an overall detriment, a negative factor, to the Palestinian cause.

A mediocre , unprincipled and failed “leader” by any standard; his choice as Man of the Year will be another Israeli/USA triumph over the Palestinian cause.

At this point in time what Abbas said or Netanyahu said here and there, about this or that, is totally and absolutely irrelevant to the ongoing non-debate.

The only true criteria is reality, not what you wish it would be good for Israel and Palestine, good for Palestine, or good for Israel only, which seems to be your favorite position.

And historical reality finds Israel backed into a shameful corner as a modern “state,” one dedicated to preserve and perpetuate the oppression of a people whose land Israel claims as “Biblically” theirs, an argument recently backed by the alleged “strategic depth,” plus the ever-present “special security needs” (read keep the occupation going), and many other reasons with which the Israeli establishment, backed by the fundies and wackos on their wingnut side, attempts to continue stealing Palestinian homeland.

The current debate in the UN would put Israel, the US, et al (a few other idiots) at the crosswinds of history, and would help more than any pro-Palestinian website (which are, in general, pretty bad), to show the occupation in its full nakedness. Israel has been pissing against the wind for long time, and is now just beginning to catch the counter-wind.

The ongoing non-debate, therefore, has moved from who said whatever, to a level beyond the comprehension of most Israelis, living by force under an occupation of the mind (preeminently Lieberman’s hasbaras), unaware Clio has turned her back on Israel. The Palestinian request for recognition as a state will test the limits of the international political establishment, forced by the traditional trans-Atlantic alliance to march in lock-step with the US. We will see how much pressure is the US able to apply on friends and foes at the UN, and we will witness those who bend under pressure, and those who resist, based on principles.

We will see the international community bending and twisting to accommodate different and mostly contradictory narratives, pro-Israel most of them, pro-Palestine others, and regardless of results, this test will change forever how international law is perceived in different parts of the world.

The US veto will only prove without a doubt Obama fell on Netanyahu’s trap early on, who didn’t only cut his head, but to further mock him, showed the world it was empty.

The Palestinian UN test will force everyone to put their money where their mouth is….literally.

Taoist

A happy, healthy, loving new year and year to all.

May we live to see peace, deep and comprehensive peace.