And they have promised to complete more normalization deals for Israel with Arab countries like those with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, which shredded the decades-old Arab solidarity that had underpinned the Palestinian national strategy: No recognition of Israel before the creation of a Palestinian state. But if Mr. Abbas is anxiously waiting to see whether Mr. Trump leaves office, nearly everyone around him is looking ahead to the day after Mr. Abbas makes his own exit. Senior members of his party are throwing elbows at one another while courting publicity for their own efforts at diplomacy, technocratic governance or popular protest. “The ship is sinking, and everyone is fighting over the first-class cabin,” said Ghaith al-Omari, a former adviser to Mr. Abbas. For now, though, he has tried to create at least the appearance of other options.

Source: New York Times October 28, 2020 17:48 UTC