Skip to main content

Can Abbas revive peace vote for Israeli left?

A meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a Democratic Union delegation was conducted with the hope of returning the two-state solution to Israeli electoral politics and encouraging Israelis who still back that approach to get out and vote in Knesset elections in September.

AbbasRothman.jpg
Mahmoud Abbas (C-R) meets with Noa Rothman (C-L) and Issawi Frej (R) of the Democratic Union in Ramallah, occupied West Bank, Aug. 12, 2019. — Facebook/EsawiFreige

RAMALLAH, West Bank — With Israeli elections approaching on Sept. 17, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas raised eyebrows earlier this month when he met with a delegation from the Democratic Union that included Noa Rothman, the granddaughter of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and Meretz member Issawi Freij, in Ramallah at the Muqata. Channel 13 News reported Rothman and Freij saying after the Aug. 12 session with Abbas that the meeting had been aimed at putting the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the election agenda. The Democratic Union wants to reinvigorate and attract voters who still have hopes of negotiating a two-state solution. 

Abbas expressed his wish that the Israeli government formed after the elections will resume negotiations, noting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had refused to meet him on several occasions. Rothman described Abbas as a “partner for peace,” and noted, “He is desperate because of the lack of dialogue and negotiations.”

Related Topics

Subscribe for unlimited access

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more

$14 monthly or $100 annually ($8.33/month)
OR

Continue reading this article for free

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more.

By signing up, you agree to Al-Monitor’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Already have an account? Log in