Analysis: Abbas has reason to smile

[QueerJustice]

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

Three weeks after he was elected to succeed Yasser Arafat as chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) has scored a series of achievements likely to enhance his status.
"
All is going well for Abu Mazen – much better than he himself expected," said a senior PA official in Ramallah. "It's somewhat surprising, but things seem to be moving in the right direction as far as Abu Mazen is concerned."

Abbas's most significant achievement thus far has been to persuade Hamas and other radical Palestinian groups to temporarily stop their attacks against Israel.

It's not an official cease-fire, and Palestinians prefer to call the agreement tahdiah (calmness). But the relative quiet that has prevailed in the Gaza Strip over the past week is being seen by many Palestinians as a de facto unilateral cease-fire.

Hamas and its allies have refrained from describing their hush-hush deal with Abbas as a cease-fire agreement for fear that it would be portrayed as a sign of weakness on their part. But Abbas has been quick to inform Israel and the US that when Hamas talks about its readiness to calm the situation, it is actually accepting his cease-fire proposal.


http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1106969221525

[QueerJustice]

1. I hope...

Everyone keeps smiling.....


The biggest question for all the so called experts is ``why could Arafat not do anything?``and ``Why did they keep making excuses for his inaction?``It turns out that it was not that difficult...

A leopard (or a terrorist)does not change its spots.....

Guess he must be looking up from hell in horror......

[Jim Sagle]

2. Maybe some of our resident I/P experts will enlighten us.

;-)

[QueerJustice]

3. but just when we need their expertise..

...they all dissapear lol

[Darranar]

4. So Abbas is a tremendous improvement?

And here I was thinking that he was a vile terrorist-supporting jerk, Arafat the Second....

[bemildred]

5. That was last week. This is this week now, see? nt

[QueerJustice]

6. Exactly thats why its ..

Surprising (so far)

[bemildred]

7. Not surprising at all, but opinions will vary. nt