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Mahmoud Abbas' UN Gambit
(Washington Post) Editorial - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been digging himself into a political hole since early last year, when he announced a strategy of seeking recognition of Palestinian statehood by the UN and a reconciliation with rival Hamas. The recognition bid flopped last fall in the UN Security Council, where the Palestinians failed to obtain even the eight votes needed for a simple majority. During this time Abbas has mostly refused negotiations with Israel. Israel has offered the PA a number of concessions in exchange for renewing the peace process, including prisoner releases and a potentially lucrative natural gas concession, but Abbas has not agreed. Instead, he will renew the UN initiative. Not just the Obama administration but also friendly Arab governments, such as that of Jordan, have counseled Abbas that the push for recognition would be self-defeating. Negotiations with Israel are the only realistic path to Palestinian statehood. Abbas' refusal to accept that fact might prove to be his undoing.