RAMALLAH, West Bank — Mahmoud Abbas, the de facto president of the Palestinian Authority, has been dominant in the Palestinian political scene for more than 20 years. In a column on Al-Monitor on Sept. 9, Daoud Kuttab referred to Abbas as Palestine’s “Teflon leader” and highlighted that Abbas continues to poll well among Palestinians despite regular accusations thrown against him. But such polls may not translate into real public affection for Abbas per se, and may have more to do with the lack of a viable alternative.
As far as political failures are concerned, they are abounding for Abbas. Many believed that the Oslo Accords would herald in a new era of peace and stability, but two decades later, the purpose of the agreements, of which Abbas was a key architect, glaringly depict a process designed to cover Israeli occupation policies, all under the nose of a Palestinian government with limited self-rule and zero autonomy.