Can Abbas bring hope to desperate young Palestinians?
Demonstrating against the Israeli occupation, young Palestinians have also been pointing a finger at President Mahmoud Abbas, who has finally addressed them and their problems in his latest speeches.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is under pressure. Even louder than polls and close advisers, the voices from the Palestinian street have broken through the walls of the Muqata and made him realize that the winds of change blowing outside could quickly turn into a deadly storm. It started with the knifing intifada, the scale and character of which not even the most seasoned Fatah officials and the most knowledgeable activists on the ground had foreseen. Now they, too, feel the wind lashing at their windows.
There’s nothing new about the internal Palestinian criticism of the Fatah movement and the PA. The immense gap between the promises for change and the reality on the ground has plagued Palestinian existence since the Oslo Accord days. However, what was once whispered with fear and trepidation is now expressed openly.
