Abbas Out of Options, Out of Synch With Angry Palestinians

TEMPO.CO, Ramallah-Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to drop a "bombshell" in a speech to the United Nations this week — prompting speculation that he will sever ties with Israel over its settlement expansion and other hard-line policies.

The warning reflects desperation, but may not signal action.

Abbas' hopes of setting up a Palestinian state through negotiations with Israel have been derailed, and a new poll shows that a majority of Palestinians want the 80-year-old to resign and dissolve his self-rule government, the Palestinian Authority. Many no longer believe a two-state solution is realistic and support political violence.

Abbas could try to align himself with a frustrated public by shifting to a more confrontational policy, including ending security cooperation with Israeli troops against a shared foe, the Islamic militant Hamas group.

It's a risky move that could cost him vital foreign aid, trigger chaos and end his 10-year rule. Abbas aides have suggested in recent days that despite his threats, he will make do with a general warning to Israel at the U.N.

Yet more indecision could further turn Palestinians against him. The mood in the West Bank is explosive, with anger mounting over Palestinian Authority mismanagement, perceived Israeli threats to a major holy site in Jerusalem and a sense of having been abandoned by the Arab world, said veteran pollster Khalil Shikaki.

"If a spark comes along, there is absolutely no doubt that the Palestinian situation today is very, very fertile for a major eruption," he said.

AP