Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says U.S. President Barak Obama gave us hope then abandoned us midway. Abbas’ comments were published in an interview with the American “Newsweek” magazine. Abbas said that the Palestinian leadership knew Obama before he became president, and he was very sympathetic with the Palestinians.
However, Obama threatened to impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority if it insists to ask the UN to condemn the ongoing settlement activities in the West Bank and to insist on settlement freeze as a pre-requisite to resume negotiations.
The Palestinian President added that it was Obama who suggested that settlement activity should freeze before the peace process can continue. Abbas used a metaphor of climbing the tree together, then Obama takes the ladder away leaving the Palestinians on the tree.
The Palestinian Authority is planning to ask the UN for a recognition of a Palestinian State on the borders of 1967 amidst wide acceptance and rejections by the US and Germany.
