Israel Matzav: Abu Bluff may initiate new 'intifada' to divert attention from corruption

Abu Bluff may initiate new 'intifada' to divert attention from corruption

JPost correspondent Khaled Abu Toameh, who is a 'Palestinian' himself, says that 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen is about to instigate a third 'intifada' (the word means "popular uprising") to divert attention from the corruption scandals in the 'Palestinian Authority' exposed by whistleblower Fahmi Shebaneh.

Yasser Arafat was the first to employ this policy to divert attention from the fact that his regime was stealing hundreds of millions of dollars of international aid to the Palestinians. Almost each time that the issue of financial corruption and bad government was raised, Arafat and his aides would step their rhetorical attacks on Israel under various pretexts. The incitement, which in the beginning led to periodic outbursts of violence against Israelis, finally saw the eruption of the second intifada. Now Mahmoud Abbas and his administration in the West Bank are employing the same policy.

In recent months, Abbas has been facing growing criticism from many Palestinians who, on the one hand accuse him of turning a blind eye to corruption in the Palestinian Authority and, on the other hand, denounce him as a “puppet” in the hands of Israel and the US.

The main complaint against Abbas - as one of his former intelligence officials put it - is that he has “surrounded himself with the same thieves and corrupt guys who used to work for Yasser Arafat.” The most recent cases of sexual and financial corruption in Abbas’s administration (which were revealed by the former intelligence official, Fahmi Shabaneh and have become to be known as “Fatahgate”), have caused irreparable damage to his standing and reputation.

The Palestinian Authority is now searching for any excuse to increase tensions with Israel, hoping that this will invite outside pressure on the government of Binyamin Netanyahu to make as many concessions as possible.

Netanyahu’s recent decision to include two religious sites in Israel’s national heritage list is already being exploited by Abbas’s government to send schoolchildren in Hebron and Bethlehem to throw stones and firebombs at Israeli soldiers.

Abbas is also hoping that renewed violence on the streets of the West Bank and the Old City of Jerusalem will force the US Administration to get more involved in the Israeli-Arab conflict.

And of course, it should be obvious to all of you, that even if Abu Bluff entered into an agreement with Israel, he could not sell it to his own people, and he could not enforce it.

He can't even control (or enter) Gaza.

What could go wrong?

Israel Matzav: Abu Bluff may initiate new 'intifada' to divert attention from corruption