US Mideast envoy George Mitchell will be traveling to Ramallah on Thursday to meet with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). Abu Mazen did not miss on opportunity to cash in on the Peace Now report released on Wednesday, quoting widespread “settlement growth in 2008.”
 
The powerless PA leader stated if Israel continues “settlement expansion” it is a signal Jerusalem is not genuinely interested in peace.
 
Abu Mazen’s term expired on January 9th but he fears calling new elections for the likelihood of being reelected is extremely low as Hamas and other extremist elements continue to gain momentum. Many Israeli intelligence officials have warned that it is only a matter of time until radical Islamic elements take total control of all PA areas as Hamas has done in Gaza.
 
Israel and the US view Abu Mazen as the “legitimate leader” and representative of the PA population, opting to ignore the Holocaust-denying past of the suit-and-tie leader, who outwardly appears more moderate than Hamas and others. Israel needs Abu Mazen to legitimize continuing on the path forged by Yitzchak Rabin and Shimon Peres and their Oslo Agreement signed in 1993, which has since been followed by a string of agreements that are ignored by the PA leadership. 
 
Hamas earlier in the week announced it no longer recognizes Abu Mazen as the leader of PA autonomous areas in Judea and Samaria as the impotent Fatah leader seeks to cling to the strings of power, seeking to make a deal with Israel or America that will lend an air of legitimacy to his waning power base.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)