Abbas to visit Gaza?
To assert his leadership of all Palestinians, Mahmoud Abbas should visit the Gaza Strip and show his support for Palestinians there.
The Dec. 16 entry on her Facebook was simple yet powerful: “Imagine if President [Mahmoud al-] Abbas would visit Gaza and take a look at his people there following the Alexa storm. Imagine how he will be received by Ismail Haniyeh. … People who have been drowning will certainly come out and welcome him.”
The entry was by Rawya Shawa, a prominent independent member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. It is unclear if this was an innocent wish, or if she was privy to any information about the state of Palestinian reconciliation. The entry coincided with two important phone calls: the first between Gaza’s de facto ruler Ismail Haniyeh and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and followed by what has been reported as a thank-you call from Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to Abbas. Press reports have said that Meshaal thanked Abbas for the efforts he has made since the snow storm to help out Gazans by sending badly needed supplies and intervening with the Israelis to loosen up Gaza’s blockade.
