Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Not. A. Pretty. Picture.

Mahmoud Abbas is in D.C. to schmooze with Trump in support of the POTUS's (shudder) "ultimate deal."

Let's hope and pray that Trump's nowhere near as complimentary about the Old Eliminationist as he's been about other despicable despots (Putin, Erdogan and Duterte, to name but three).

Update: Abbas knows exactly how to play Trump--speak with a forked tongue (a.k.a. taqiyyah) while ladling out the compliments:
The Palestinian leader expressed his support for a two-state solution to the conflict and the long-held Palestinian desire for a capital in East Jerusalem, welcoming Trump's role as a mediator in peace negotiations. He said he had "hope" about prospects for peace with Trump in that role as he praised the President for his negotiating acumen.
"I believe that we are capable under your leadership and under your courageous stewardship and your wisdom as well as your great negotiating ability ... I believe we can be partners -- true partners to you -- to bring about a historic peace treaty," Abbas said through an interpreter. "Now, Mr. President, with you we have hope." 
Trump expressed his desire to have Palestinians and Israelis draw on the Oslo Accords that Abbas signed onto as the Palestinian negotiator in 1993 and said he hoped the Palestinian leader would soon sign "the final and most important peace agreement."
But while Trump spoke broadly about his desires for a peace deal and some of the barriers to a deal, Abbas drilled down on the specific complaints and demands of Palestinians. 
Abbas spoke of the importance of providing solutions that would address the situation Palestinian refugees and those imprisoned in Israeli prisons, referring to "the suffering of my people." 
"Mr. President, it's about time for Israel to end its occupation of our people and of our land," Abbas said, referring to the Palestinian territories in the West Bank under Israeli control.
He's also referring to territory in Israel that's under Israeli control, i.e. the part that goes "from the river (Jordan) to the sea (the Mediterranean)," so why are we still pretending that that "two state solution" is really a thing?

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