Fatah cools on Obama and Mitchell

Ben Smith
Politico
13 October 09

Peace process prospects seem to be getting grimmer, as an internal memo of Fatah -- the favored Palestinian leadership -- leaks to the AP:

An internal document circulated among members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' political party says all hopes placed in the Obama administration "have evaporated" because of alleged White House backtracking on key issues to the Palestinians.

The Fatah Party memorandum, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, accuses the United States of backing off from its demands that Israel freeze settlement construction and failing to set a clear agenda for new Mideast peace talks.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the Oct. 12 document reflected Abbas' views or was intended to be leaked as Fatah's attempt to pressure President Barack Obama to bear down harder on Israel.

The document said the Palestinians have lost hope in Obama and accused the American leader of caving in to pressure from pro-Israel lobbyists in Washington.

"All hopes placed in the new U.S. administration and President Obama have evaporated," said the document issued by Fatah's Office of Mobilization and Organization. The department is headed Fatah's No. 2, Mohammed Ghneim.

Obama, it claimed, "couldn't withstand the pressure of the Zionist lobby, which led to a retreat from his previous positions on halting settlement construction and defining an agenda for the negotiations and peace."

The memo seems to strengthen the argument that opening with a strong public stand on settlements -- voiced most firmly by Clinton -- was a tactical American mistake, hardening the Palestinian line even as Mitchell negotiated a compromise with the Israelis.

Related: What's the Point

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