Palestine was counting on Abbas’ bid for statehood in the United Nations to fall through. Little did they expect Obama dash their hopes into the ground in the way that he did in his General Assembly address titled ‘Peace is Hard’.
Criticism from various Palestinian factions poured in, accusing the President of taking a pro-Israeli stance, in order to win the Jewish vote in the upcoming 2012 Presidential elections.
A senior Hamas official from Gaza, Ahmed Yousuf, had this to say about the President’s position on Israel and Palestine, “Obama’s statements are pro-Israeli, and are considered an evasion of the Palestinian UN bid. The US has proved that it is not an honest broker in the Palestinian issue.”
A prominent member from the Palestine Liberation Organization, Yasser Abed Rabbo, in being visibly disappointed said that they expected President Obama to “show support for the Palestinian cause” as, in his opinion, the entire region definitely deserves freedom.
Obama, throughout his speech, emphasized that the only way by which Palestine can expect progress, in terms of freedom, is by renewing peace talks with Israel. In response to his speech, Nabil Abu Rudeina, Abbas’ spokesman, stated that Palestine is willing to negotiate provided Israel stops settlement construction (read as: occupation) and is also willing to discuss the 1967 lines.
Rudeina also added that the recent Arab uprisings are actually a warning to the rest of the world, and that it is imperative for Israel to change the current policy of ongoing occupation.
Despite the lack of support from the United States, Mahmoud Abbas will address the UN General Assembly, and submit his application for full statehood to the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki Moon.