(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - On Sep. 21, PA President Abbas phoned Turkish President Erdogan and requested that Turkey send observers to monitor Palestinian elections. Abbas' request surprised many Palestinians and Arabs, especially in the wake of charges that Erdogan had forged the 2018 presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey. Abbas, it seems, is confident that Erdogan's observers would rubber-stamp the results of any Palestinian election to ensure that the PA president emerges victorious. Yet if Erdogan is going to send Turkish observers to monitor the Palestinian elections, it is because he would like to help his friends in Hamas win the vote. By inviting Turkey to monitor the elections, Abbas is playing into the hands of Erdogan and Hamas.
2020-10-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive