Backlash mounts after Abbas ‘betrayal’
For Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, what was intended as a gesture of respect for a man of peace has brought him anything but peace back home.
His brief visit to occupied Jerusalem to attend the funeral of Shimon Peres, the former prime minister and president of Israel, and his handshake with the current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, brought a fierce backlash from many Palestinians who called it an act of betrayal by a leader who has grown out of touch.
The youth movement of Abbas’ own Fatah party at one university declared that he had “committed a crime” and called on him to apologise and resign. A Palestinian military officer was so critical of Abbas on Facebook that security forces went to his home and arrested him.
On Twitter, angry Palestinians used Arabic hashtags that translate to #Treason, #CondolenceForTheKiller and #AbbasDoesNotRepresentMe.
“Abu Mazen’s participation in the funeral is an absolute disgrace to the Palestinian people,” Abu Samah, 52, an electrician from Ramallah, said in an interview, using Abbas’ nickname.
http://gulfnews.com/news/mena/palestine/backlash-mounts-after-abbas-betrayal-1.1906106