Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas, in a Tuesday meeting with Israeli reporters in
Ramallah, stated that Israel has once again failed to give him a
chance, as it did while he acted as a Prime Minister in 2003.
‘Day and night, the Israeli officials are inciting
people against me in the Israeli media. I am not the complaining type,
but, despite the instructions we have issued to halt incitement on our
side, Israeli officials have not stopped inciting for a moment,’ Abbas
said.
‘Just like the first government I headed, we cannot
get a moment’s rest from these onslaughts. And just like it was during
the period of that first government, we are not being given a chance.’
He added.
Abbas said the Palestinian Authority (PA) had
conducted a series of significant security, financial and
administrative reforms but Israel refuses to admit as much.
‘I’ve never seen such criticism. Only three months
have passed. Give us time to act. Give us a chance to act – and help
us,’ he said.
Abbas pointed the relative calm of the last several weeks as a great accomplishment.
‘We acted vigorously throughout the entire
population to achieve a calm because we are convinced that it is
necessary for us, and not just to please Israel.†He said.
‘The prisoners, for example, pushed more than any
other sector, for the calm. But they also have to see a new attitude
from the Israeli government on their case.’ He added.
Abbas said Israel failed to abide by the
understandings announced at Sharm el-Sheikh, accusing the government of
Israel of escalating offenses in a systematic way.
Abbas listed his government’s achievements on the
security arena, including foiling dozens of planned attacks on Israel,
handing over to the army weapons and munitions it found, arresting
people involved in the plotting of attacks and disarming “wantedâ€Â
Palestinians in the West Bank cities of Jericho and Tulkarem, which
Israel handed to the Palestinian Authority.
