Palestinian President Abbas: No War with Israel Unless Arabs Join

In comments during a recent trip to Lebanon, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinians were opposed to attempting to achieve independence through violence, apparently not because it is wrong, but because it would be impractical against Israeli forces. According to the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency, citing a report from the WAFA Palestinian news agency, Abbas said some Arab nations were in favor of allowing armed resistance against Israel if a bid to gain statehood through the United Nations failed. Abbas was resistant to the idea, however, “unless you all take a decision to launch war.”

Abbas was further quoted as saying of the impracticality of fighting Israel, “I cannot fire one single bullet at Israel because all I have is a policeman with a Kalashnikov [rifle] and minimum ammunition.” Ma’an did not quote any additional comments expressing any moral reservations on the matter.

The comments came in the context of Abbas expressing the Palestinian determination to seek full statehood member status at the UN, rather than observer status like the Vatican enjoys.

Abbas claimed that of the 15 members of the UN Security Council, the required nine for a resolution to pass would support Palestinian statehood recognition.

The Security Council is capable of issuing a legally binding resolution to that effect, however, the United States, one of five nations with veto power on the Council, is expected to prevent such a vote from passing.

(By Staff, www.themideastupdate.com, August 24, 2011)