Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas no longer plans to drop a “bombshell” in his speech scheduled for Wednesday.
And he’s blaming the United States for that.
Abbas religious affairs adviser Mahmoud Habbas told reporters in New York on Monday that his boss had “difficult talks” with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry over the weekend. The two allegedly discussed the threatened “bombshell” in the address that Abbas plans to deliver on Wednesday.
According to reports quoted by various international media, some Abbas aides claimed the PA leader had planned to announce a PA state “under Israeli occupation.” Such a unilateral move would be another violation of the internationally-recognized Oslo Accords, in addition to those he has already committed, but one the United Nations could not fail to act on.
In an interview with Palestine TV on Sunday, Abbas said he raised three points with world leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly: the ongoing tensions at the Temple Mount, Israel’s “failure” to implement agreements with the PA and revival of Israeli-PA peace talks.
It is unclear at this point exactly what Abbas will say in his speech on Wednesday. Various Palestinian officials are giving statements to media in the Arab world and abroad, including in New York. But given the current political climate and the fact that Abbas is barely tolerated in his own territory, let alone in the halls of the Arab nations with whom he must parley in order to survive, it is likely he will keep his cards close to his chest until he steps up to the podium, if only for his own survival.