It was a significant step, as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is being increasingly undermined by Israel, Arab allies have turned away and Palestinians are increasingly disillusioned. The very public meeting in Paris with Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) leader Maryam Rajavi in Paris on the night of July 30 — complete with post-meeting news reports and photos shared on social media — confirmed it was no mere social call.
The meeting followed another that same night between Abbas and US Secretary of State John Kerry. Earlier, on July 9, Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud had also made a surprising appearance — to standing ovations — in which he called for an end to the current Iranian regime at Rajavi's rally in Paris.