Monday October 5, 2009

I've Been Thinking:

The Palestinians have withdrawn their support for the Goldstone Report.

The Report, which condemned Israel in their recent battle against Hamas, clearly states that Israel acted outside the guidelines of international law.
So why did Mahmoud Abbas give the order to reject the report?
Palestinians are asking the same question and have established a committee to discuss the direction they should take in response.

The most important reason for Palestinian rejection of the Goldstone Report is pressure from the US, especially from Hillary Clinton.
The Americans have made it very clear that embracing the Report will make it very difficult to move forward with Israel. It will make it impossible for Israel to feel that they can defend themselves.
More than that, Fatah knows that Hamas is growing in strength - and beating down Hamas is an essential part of their future plan.

But there's a problem:
By withdrawing support for the Goldstone Report it appears as if Abbas has turned his back on Palestinians in Gaza. Palestinians on the street are asking if Abbas has sold his soul and his people to accommodate the United States which is simply defending the Israelis.

Israel is capable of weathering the storm, they do that all the time.
Abbas is now in an even more precarious position in terms of his popularity, and that could play directly into the hands of Hamas.
I am not certain that the US understood just how dramatic the counter response on the street would be to rejecting the Goldstone Report.

Read my new book THUGS. It's easy. Just click.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=halpern%2C+micah