[Elder of Ziyon] Abbas threatens: "If we don't get what we want, all options are open"

Imagine the outcry that would follow if Bibi Netanyahu said that if the planned peace talks don't go well, "all options are on the table." It would be perceived as a threat - perhaps to annex the territories, perhaps to unilaterally annex parts, perhaps to occupy Area A. Either way, it would make headlines, confirming the idea of Israeli belligerency and intransigence.

Netanyahu never said that. But Mahmoud Abbas did.

Palestine Press Agency quotes Abbas as saying that if there is no progress in the peace talks, "all options are open."

A violent intifada?

Whatever he is threatening, it is clear that Abbas isn't serious about an agreement, because he also said that any agreement would be subject to a popular referendum before the PLO would move forward. given that the PA hasn't been able to hold real elections for about a decade now, this pretty much means that Abbas can hold out for whatever he demands because he knows that he can always blame the "people" he rules for any deals he doesn't want to sign.

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Posted By Elder of Ziyon to Elder of Ziyon at 7/22/2013 10:15:00 AM