By Khaled Abu Toameh, Gatestone Institute—
As the Biden administration steps up its efforts to bolster the Palestinian Authority (PA), Palestinians seem to be increasingly losing faith in their leaders.
The Palestinian public also appears to be losing faith in any peace process with Israel. Many are even saying that they support the annulment of the Oslo Accords, signed in 1993 between Israel and the PLO and that the only peace process they would support is one that leads to the elimination of Israel.
The Biden administration, which earlier this year restored relations with the PA and pledged to resume unconditional financial aid to the Palestinians, apparently believes that such measures will pave the way for the revival of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians toward a “two-state solution.”
As part of the policy of strengthening the PA, the Biden administration recently dispatched CIA director William Burns to Ramallah for talks with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials on ways to enhance bilateral relations and embark on confidence-building measures between the Palestinians and Israel.
At the behest of the Biden administration, the Israeli government has announced a series of gestures aimed at strengthening the PA, including plans to lend $150 million to the cash-strapped PA government.
The gestures are reportedly aimed at bolstering the PA in order to undermine its rivals in the Islamist movement of Hamas.
Most Palestinians, however, are clearly unimpressed with both the Biden administration’s renewed financial aid and the Israeli government’s gestures. These Palestinians are saying no to the PA and Abbas, and to the US and Israel. These Palestinians are saying that they prefer Hamas, the Islamist group that seeks the destruction of Israel, over Abbas.
A public opinion poll published on August 25 by the Arab World for Research and Development, which describes itself as “one of the Arab region’s leading firms providing our partners and clients with a full range of consulting and technical services for substantial development and state building,” indicate that the Biden administration is deluding itself by assuming that US funds could change the hearts and minds of the Palestinians.
According to the findings of the poll, 67% of the respondents support the annulment of the Oslo Accords, and 61% of them oppose the continuation of security coordination between the PA and Israel. Continue Reading….
