Observers of recent statements by senior Palestinian officials might be confused about the Palestinian strategy and likely reactions to Israeli and US political and financial restrictions.

Are Palestinians really going to dissolve their government or are they going to hold on to it? Will Palestinian security coordination with Israel continue or not? Will Palestinians resubmit their resolution to the UN Security Council or will they accept that the Security Council is a dead end so long as the United States is threatening its veto?

While some of the top PLO officials have been quoted in contradictory terms, it is not clear whether these statements reflect a confused communications strategy or a well-planned one in which different audiences are fed different points of view. The spin to Israelis might be different than the tone of the messages to Americans, and both are different to what is said to the local Palestinian public.

An in-depth look at some of the most recent statements reflect self-serving attitudes and a one-upmanship possibly connected to the upcoming seventh Fatah Congress, rather than a pre-planned communications strategy. Also revealed are the on-off personal relations between some senior officials and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, a sign that all is not under control in the Muqata presidential headquarters.