CÔTE D’IVOIRE: A COUNTRY “DYING AWAY” UNDER FRENCH OCCUPATION

By Ohoupa SESSEGNON

Côte d’Ivoire has been under the occupation of the French army for the past seventeen months. This army which has actively helped to overthrow President Gbagbo and replace him by Dramane Ouattara has not been able to control its local collaborators called “The Republican Force of Côte d’Ivoire”.   

This illiterate, untrained, barbaric and ethnic based group of thugs and mystics recruited by Dramane Ouattara and Soro Guillaume, and made mainly of Ivorian northerners and Burkinabes, are killing on a daily basis Ivoirians, Men and Women considered pro-Gbagbos, with the lucky ones mostly ending up in prisons or in concentration camps situated in Abidjan and in the North of the Country (evidence available).

The opposition Media is totally muzzled. Most pro-Gbagbo newspapers are unreasonably suspended with attacks targeted to their headquarters. The autocratic and repressive regime put in place by the French army and led by a man who is alien to the history of the Country is setting the conditions of censorships through threats and terror. 

We believe that Freedom of information is such an essential element in a democratic world that it cannot be suppressed under any circumstance. The level of Democracy in a Country is measured by the level freedom of expression given to the media. It then appears absurd to us how the opposition newspapers are muzzled in Côte d’Ivoire under the leadership of Dramane Ouattara and his allies.

We think that Ivorians have seriously been traumatised by the bombs from the French and UN forces, and are still living in fear with the cloud of an unavoidable coup d’etat hanging over their heads.  We therefore think they deserve to have access to a true, diversified and fair account of what has happened and what is happening to them and what the root causes of their misfortune are.  This, we believe can only be possible through a freedom of expression given to the media in general.

Ivorians in their majority have witnessed the capture by the French, American and the UN forces of their democratically elected President. The historical date of 11 April 2011 will forever remain in the memory of the Ivorians. 

President Gbagbo, the democratically elected President of Côte d’Ivoire was captured, kidnapped and deported to the International Criminal Court (ICC) after spending months incarcerated in the north of the Country in inhuman conditions. 

This is a yelling act of injustice that needs to be exposed. It’s unacceptable and unfair that those who killed through a rebellion and are still killing remain free with military ranks won through blood shedding while the democratically elected President is being illegally detained.  

The Secretary General of the Rally of the Democrats (RDR), Dramane Ouattara’s Party, the current leading Party in Côte d’Ivoire, has said during an interview in a local newspaper that “anyone opposing Ouattara will be sent to the cemetery just as  thousands other Ivorians who have done so.”  It’s then crystal clear to us that the regime of the RDR is not ready to move to the political phase of the crisis, which therefore makes reconciliation impossible.

We call on The International Community, the regional Organisation (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) to seriously look into the Ivorian situation before it’s too late. 

We call on our African media houses, our African journalists to direct their lenses, their pens and microphones toward this country that steadily advance toward the worst ever...

Could Netanyahu go down with Romney?

Israeli Premiere Nyetanyahu (L) and Mitt Romney (R)

By Jim Dean

Bibi is now despised in America, really. His attempt to blackmail Obama via, 'give me my Iran attack and you can be president again' revolted Americans for its open contempt. There is talk here now of regime change in Israel.

The snickering at the Israeli UN ambassador as he made his lonely exit during Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech was the perfect spotlight on Israel's long career of being a friend to no one and the enemy of all. It was a coordinate snub, to the big snubber of the UN.

Even Americans who were not Obama supporters are looking for a way to get rid of Netanyahu. They don't want to see or ever hear about him anymore. And what makes it worse, there is more talk than ever before about people just fed up with the whole 'Israel thing'... the bus where everybody else has to sit in the back.

The after action reports on Bibi's “red lines” failure are not focusing only on his over the top style. Even in Israel, they are starting to say he bet on the wrong horse. Israelis take a dim view of their president not being able to rig an American election behind the scenes, the way it is supposed to be done. It's a source of national pride, in a warped kind of way.

Politically astute Israelis are openly talking about Romney's political career being over and Bibi needing to reinvent himself to get back into the influence game. Israelis are used to this. If they can't get you one way, they just back off for a while until they have a new plan of attack. With allies like this, 'who needs enemies,' as the saying goes.

I think the Israelis may be missing the boat on the new paradigm that seems to be surfacing like a Mafia victim's body floating up to the surface in a steamer trunk. Talk of a 'missing person' no longer works. It's murder investigation time, and 9/11 is still waiting to have one.

I think Netanyahu has done himself in. There is nothing to rebuild as he has shown himself as a pimp for Sheldon Adelson and Rupert Murdoch trying to put Mitt Romney on the best street corner on Wall Street to market his wares. Romney was pretty enough but folks were afraid of catching something from him if they got too close. Don't worry Mitt, you will always have France.

Petty politics is the national sport in Israel, and we have all been there before... the little men with the big heads from the little country doing their Mafia Don thing while pretending to represent a people. Elites never represent people. They only represent themselves.

The long history of this came to light with the release of classified U.S. documents from the 70's when Kissinger was doing his shuttle work when Ford was president. The revelations on Israeli treachery are shocking, not only because of what they did back then, but because not much has changed.

The release comes right at a critical time in the presidential race. They were not needed to knock Bibi's anti-Obama campaign out of the saddle. Bibi's falling off his own horse was a self-inflicted wound. The only purpose for such a release of intimate diplomatic discussions now is that someone had decided to start the 'background' education on our sordid history with Israel.

American ears have generally been protected from such interesting tidbits as Kissinger describing the Israelis as treacherous, petty, deceitful, and they did not treat America like an ally. As I said above, not much has changed from back then. The closest we got recently was Obama and the former French president discussing on an open mic what a snake Netanyahu was.

But the most pertinent quote for Netanyahu to think about now was Kissinger warning Ford,

“... the Jews are trying to knock you off. They want a new guy in the White House in 1977.” Replied Ford, “We cannot be in a position to isolate ourselves from the rest of the world simply in order to stand behind the intransigence of Israel.”

Kissinger responded, “We must disassociate ourselves a bit from Israel, not to destroy them but to prevent them from becoming a Sparta, with only military solutions to every problem.”

As I read that, a smile came over my face imagining Obama getting a briefing on the release of these documents. As more Americans are reading them they are finally stopping to think that this kowtowing to Israel is insanity. It has never been America's friend, as it really has no friends at all, only those currently being used until they find a better horse ride.

The ground swell I am sensing from the military and Intel community who are heavy readers of Veterans Today, is that they don't want to suffer the humiliation any longer. They have been holding the magic bullet to solving it all, a huge Intel dump on all the nasty things that Israel has done to America, and the long list of American names who have helped them, some of them well known senior politicians.

The material has been classified purely because it reveals the depth of political corruption here. When I mentioned above their style of regrouping to come at you again, they did this when they compromised our Congress so they could override presidential vetos when needed... and to keep the American gravy train flowing.

Not satisfied with that, they also wanted control of the White house so as to not have to overuse Congress and make their control there too obvious. The Pentagon was another target. They began a long-range program of setting up think tank fronts to groom selected Americans and Jews for placement in key patronage jobs with both parties. That way they would always have their people in key espionage slots and not suffer the ups and downs of the one political party pony.

Netanyahu and his crazy advisers made a huge mistake. He has now made himself the poster boy of decades of Israeli treachery against America. I know Bibi likes attention but that's probably not that kind he had in mind. Bibi is not alone in the 'different kind of love' that Israelis have for America.

Chemi Shaley had a good example in today's Haaretz. He was not tough on Netanyahu for being an unfaithful friend to Americans by trying to manipulate our political system into using our military and credit lines serve Israel by dying and paying the bills. Shaley was spanking Bibi because he didn't do it right. I will say it again, “With friends like this who needs enemies?”

Chaley astutely points out that with Romney now sinking in the polls despite the fortune in Obama bashing Republican advertising where Bibi was stupid enough to even be in the ads, American Jews are still sticking with Obama, 69% in Florida.

Chaley also points out that with a growing Obama lead, the power of the Jewish vote in swing states goes way down, and Netanyahu's threats of being THE kingmaker got Bibi that Obama twisted the knife in Bibi's ribs when he referred to his efforts as 'noise.' That was a brilliant stroke by Obama's speech writing staff... a designed humiliation to an Israeli president as a way of thanking him for dishing out the same.

So I sit here now, astounded by the irony that this failed Bibi maneuver has taught us how to get the Israeli monkeys off our backs. And that is to just tell them to go to straight to hell, and don't let the door hit you in the butt going out. It's something that could catch on.

And for all those who have been fronting for the Israelis, especially in Congress, you may come to see that the no-risk, free-pass days might be coming to an end. People are now learning that anyone that is really close to the Israelis must be doing bad things for them. Israelis don't give it away for nothing.

I will close with a Kissinger line from the new release, “Israel wanted peace, but wasn't willing to pay for it.” Militant Israelis have always thought paying for anything was stupid. They think that's what friends are for. And if sthey don't pay the freight, what's the point in having them.

Yes, I know it is a negative stereotype, but I did not earn it. They did. So they have to wear the robe.

Israeli nukes threaten world security

By Jim Dean

A letter was sent to US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu by Clinton Bastin, lead consultant to the IAEA and their top expert in the area of nuclear weapons design and processes.

The letter outlines that the IAEA has been hijacked by elements unfamiliar with nuclear weapons that seem to be “tasked” with gross misrepresentations of science and physics in order to support the concept that Iran has a nuclear weapons program.

Clinton has spent his life supporting safe nuclear energy, supporting international efforts to prevent nuclear proliferation and serving his country, initially in combat in World War II and in a lifetime of achievement at the US Department of Energy and working with a wide variety of organizations including the IAEA and president of the 900,000 member Nuclear Workers Union.

Bastin is also a retired Marine officer. Fortunately, for us all, he has been Veterans Today's top nuke consultant since I found him living right here in Atlanta with me.

My chemical engineering undergrad work was a bit dated, but he invested the time to take me through the evaluation steps, several times, until the light went on. Enriching uranium to bomb grade levels is a very complex process, but converting the material into a functioning weapons platform has another whole set of opportunities for blowing the place up.

After the Chernobyl disaster, nuclear workers worldwide banded together to create safety standards to avoid another such tragedy.

While we have some detractors who feel we are too close to Iran on this nuclear threat stuff, Clinton’s letter to Netanyahu, Obama, and IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano will prove to all that our position was based on hard Intel. We have known all along that Bibi was bluffing on the Iran bomb threat.

And while American mass media has rarely picked up Clinton's material, top Israeli military and Intelligence people have. These include such stalwarts as Meir Dagan, former head of their Mossad. The New York Times might have published some letter excerpts. Our appreciation for our own media took a nose dive when we saw them lying by omission by not giving Mr. Bastin's view national exposure. Such oversights, I assure you, do not happen by accident.

And as we go into the last weeks of the presidential campaigns here we can see that even a presidential contender with his Neocon commandos are also caught trying to ride the fake bomb threat into the Whitehouse, where they have already promised to pull the trigger, which will be an instant disaster for all the rest of us.

To launch a preemptive strike based on bogus Intel would be a war crime under the Nuremberg precedents, as it would truly be an offensive act, not really a defensive one.

But there is a double hoax in play here. We are sitting here with this totally bizarre situation where Israel, a rogue regime in terms of its huge weapons of mass destruction programs and stockpiles. The Israelis have completely ignored any international responsibility for their actions and yet have the gall to demand red lines of others.

I think it is time, people of the world, to issue Israel some red lines. And now is the perfect time. We have excerpts from Clinton's letter below, and we have General Shaul Horev, director of the Israeli Nuclear Energy Committee with his latest comment about any plans for discussing a nuclear-free Middle East soon:

"In order to realize this idea there is need for prior conditions and a complete reversal of the current trend in the area," Horev said. "This is an idea born in other areas and alien to the reality and political culture of the area. Nuclear demilitarization in the Middle East, according to the Israeli position, will be possible only after the establishment of peace and trust among the states of the area, as a result of a local initiative, not of external coercion."

But it gets worse. Horev goes back to the tradition 'victim well' with more threat hoaxes, the silly rhetoric against Iran, and this new one, that Assad would use the alleged chemical weapons against the rebels or give them to Hezbollah.

It is clear who the real threat is...Israel. And all those who support its never-ending victim parade, are actually guilty of aiding and abetting in a Nuremberg crime against humanity. If there is to be a pre-emptive strike against a dangerous aggressor, we need to re-evaluate who that really is, and act accordingly.

Clinton deserves to be heard. The world needs to know that such informed opinions have been kept out of the media because it would make us harder to manipulate with the nuclear Iran boogeyman. That in itself is part of an attack on the rest of us. It is way past time we gave them some of their own medicine, while we still can.

Following are excerpts of Clinton’s letter:
“Sure, Iran could divert a few tons of 3.5% or a ton of 20% enriched uranium hexaflouride gas for enrichment to 90+%. But what then? No one has ever made a nuclear weapon from gas. It must be converted to metal and fabricated into components which are then assembled with high explosives.”

“Israeli Consul-General for the South East United States Reda Mansour and I discussed these and related issues about nuclear technology in a March 2009 meeting. Earlier, I had provided information to him from experiences with nuclear weapons and knowledge of nuclear programs in other nations that there was no potential weapon threat from Iran's nuclear programs.”

“Soon after my meeting with Consul General Mansour, I sent information about lack of an Iranian nuclear weapon threat by e-mail to you and President Obama and discussed the issue with then IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei.

Dr. ElBaradei was aware that IAEA inspectors do not understand technology for designing and producing weapons but instead rely on long 'trigger' lists of items that could - but mostly do not - indicate work on weapons. He agreed with me that there was no weapon threat from Iran's fully safeguarded nuclear programs.”

“A major problem is that very few understand the complex chemical engineering technology used to produce nuclear materials and components for weapons.

Israel's weapons are plutonium-based, implosion-type. Israeli officials do not understand the technology for a uranium-based, gun-type nuclear weapon that Iran could hypothetically build.

During discussions with officials and staff of US national security agencies and others in Washington, DC, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria from 1972 to 1997, I never met anyone who understood the technology used for producing nuclear materials and nuclear components for weapons.

All chemical companies who managed and all government chemical engineers (such as myself) who directed programs for production of nuclear materials and components have left the US government, which has lost the ability to produce most nuclear materials and components for weapons and assess ability of other nations to do so.”

“Current IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano does not appreciate the limitations of inspectors.”

An open letter to the British PM

David Cameron

Mr. David Cameron

Britain’s not-so-popular Prime Minister

If one wants to compile a list of politicians, who preach exactly opposite to what they have in their heart, no doubt British officials would be placed at the top of the set, and indeed your outrageous statements at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly last month would guarantee you a place on top .

Dear David, I praise your confidence in the ridiculous claim of Britain supporting poor countries in the beginning of your speech. A man at your position should have reached the highest level of confidence induced by ignorance that easily forgets your respective governments’ negative colonial role in exploiting half of the countries of the world in recent centuries and instead speaks of Britain’s commitment to fight against poverty in poor nations. Could you deny the hatred of the UK’s previous administrations, Kings and Queens felt among billions of citizens of the countries you looted?

In your speech, you represented your government in shamming manner as a supporter of the spread of democracy in the world, particularly in the Middle East. My forgetful friend, I still remember happy images of your country’s former Prime Minister Tony Blair, hand in hand with the Libyan slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi and signing multi-billion dollar contracts with Ghaddafi’ government. Gaddafi’s notorious son called you, Tony Blair's predecessor, Uncle Tony and you are still trying to portray Britain as a patron of democracy under the Libya invasion ?

Referring to Britain's illegal invasion of Iraq, you claim to be spreading democracy by overthrowing Saddam. British Prime minister, the so-called Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher supported blood thirsty Saddam while he was aligned with Britain’s interests. He just distanced from you and you invaded Iraq illegally and you still claim to be spreading democracy? Where was democracy and human rights values when Saddam was massacring hundreds of thousands of Iranians, Kurds and Arabs in the region? British respective governments were simply supporting him according to well-documented evidence.

Calls are mounting for trying Blair for committing war crimes in Iraq. Blair, like you, played a dirty game invaded countries under the pretext of democracy. Now, you are following the same path, so be careful not to suffer the same fate.

Head of the UK coalition government, you poured scorn on dictators as if you really don’t like them in your heart. If dictators are bad, why do you host the killer of Bahraini women and children as a special guest in 10 Downing Street every several weeks and pose with him in front of media cameras?

By the way, what’s up with … , the British intelligence officer who strengthened the foundations of Bahrain’s dictatorship for decades contrary to the will of the Arab country’s people? May I ask you what Britain’s security advisors are doing in Bahrain right now apart from supporting a dictator?

British forces in Congo are currently violating human rights of people who are against Joseph Kabila. Why didn’t you mention his name as a dictator? The most reactionary and backward absolute monarchy exists in Saudi Arabia (even based on your own statements), so why are you insisting to omit the Arab state’s decrepit and violent ruler from your remarks? You even endanger the interests of your country on dictators’ behalf. Indeed you still remember Al-Yamamah scandal.

Mr. Cameron, even your presence in the UN is an insult to other nations , so do not offend the world nations more by your ridiculous statements.Britain and its governments committed crimes not for democracy but indeed for oil and mineral resources. You invaded Iraq not because of its dictator Saddam Hussein but rather because of its vast oil resources. You toppled Muammar Gaddafi and attacked Libyan not for bringing democracy but rather for reaching the oil resources that exist in the northern part of the African country. Your death-defying silence on the crimes of Bahrain’s Al Khalifa, international terrorism of Saudi Arabia’s Al Saud etc is because of oil, not democracy.

David, despite your specious pose during the speech, when I want to select a part of your remarks as the dirtiest political game with people’s blood, I will definitely choose the part, which as you claimed, contained the statements of a teenage Syrian called Wael about the governmental violence in Syria. Shame on you, even the pain and suffering of the people are abused by you and your allies as a ladder to achieve dirty aims. After you told us a tale about the Syrian teenager’s emotional trauma, now let me tell you some stories.

A few months ago, armed terrorists (those who are provided with weapons and intelligence by you and your government) shot a 10-month-old infant called Massa Shabugh in his uncle’s arms along with four other people only because the baby was crying. Several days before this crime, the so-called freedom fighters, whom you defended in the UN, hanged the last survivor of a Syrian family, who was just 3 years old.

The massacre of Syrian families, beheading by Wahhabi Takfiries etc are all stories that happen in Syria on daily basis while your government proudly announces its commitment to support criminals, who are responsible for those incidents. You speak of Syrian citizens while the Syrian Freedom Army, whose 70 percent of its insurgents are non-Syrian (based on Western intelligence organizations’ acknowledgment), is killing people in the Arab country like a rabid dog under the full support of your government.

Does a person, who has a direct hand in these crimes, have the moral authority to preach the UN for its inaction on the issue of Syria? The political circus that you created in the General Assembly also included Britain’s internal affairs. You said, “Democracy is not- and never has been- just about simply holding an election. It is the rule of law, with the majority… It’s about not one person, one vote, once prepared to defend the rights of the majority.” However, when you said the above-mentioned sentences with a specious pose and a cold face, I had a strange feeling of surprise, nausea and of course derision.

Dear Sir, the most credible academic centers in your own country describe the democratic voting system in Britain as “unfair, disproportionate and lame”. Do you remember the famous article of Patrick Dunleavy and Chris Gilson from London School of Economics? The overall picture of the country’s election system is as follows, “The general voting system (also used for local councils in England and Wales) is a very ancient and now rather primitive system, dating back to mediaeval times when techniques for counting were very rude. The system has survived so long because it favours the top two parties, who pile up most votes in their ‘safe’ areas.”

You are a Prime Minister who is the fruit of the 2010 disgraceful vote and the result of Britain’s ailing voting system. Now, how do dare to deliver a lecture on the arrangements for democracy in an open society?

You say that in non-democratic societies “the rule of law [is] twisted for the benefit of the law.” I agree with you on this point, but the more I investigate, the more I come to the conclusion that your country is the best example which suits the above description. Your laws easily change for the benefit of some members of the royal family and a handful of businessmen and bankers, who are considered as the root cause of the current economic crisis. Don’t say that it is not the situation because I can still hear the cries of the members of the Occupy movement and anti-monarchy activists.

One year passed and once again the British officials shamefully turned the UN rostrum into a scene of a bitter comedy about hypocrisy and telling lies. It is not obvious that how many times we should watch this ridiculous performance. However, it is evident that every day the old fox is becoming weaker and more decrepit and sooner or later these tricks will have no effect on the minds of the people across the world.

By Montea Cristo: Freelance Journalist

Mahmoud Abbas predicament

Mahmoud Abbas

By Mohyeddin Sajedi

Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas travelled to New York to attend the UN General Assembly session and, once again, proposed Palestine’s membership at the international organization while he faced myriad problems both domestically and in the Arab world. 

Twenty years have elapsed since Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel signed the Oslo Accords. The agreements brought about a momentous change in the Middle East and paved the way for autonomy of the Palestinians. 

However, after two decades, many of those agreements have failed and many observers believe that Israel has merely transferred a portion of its responsibilities in the West Bank city of Ramallah to the Palestinian Authority (PA) without opening any channel for the establishemnt of a Palestinian state.

Yossi Bellin, a key architect of the Oslo Accords, has called on Mahmoud Abbas in a writing to repeal the agreements and dissolve the PA, as Israel does not fulfill its commitments and it has practically blocked the full implementation of the Oslo Accords. 

Thanks to the existence of a Palestinian authority which runs the civil affairs in some parts of the West Bank, Israel has got rid of the “burden” of occupation. The major role of the PA is to pay the salaries of the employees and conduct security coordination with Israel to prevent the people’s intifada. 

The West Bank recently witnessed a protest against the high costs of basic goods and fuel. Since the PA is saddled with USD 2 billion in foreign debts, it is incapable of paying the salaries of its employees and it is in need of direct financial aid from the foreign governments which are no longer willing to provide their supports. 

Israel solved the problem to some extent and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allowed USD 60 million from the assets blocked as customs duties to be paid to the PA. He linked the decision to Israel’s security and argued that Hamas should not be allowed to take control of the West Bank and Iran’s influence must not expand to the occupied territories.

In other words, form Israel’s point of view, the main responsibility of the PA is to counteract the imapct of rival Palestinian movements and prevent Iran’s influence from growing, not to improve the people’s life or help them achieve a sovereign country.

The US, under President Barack Obama administration, embarked on some efforts by sending George Mitchell, but it was clear from the outset that the bid was doomed to failure. Following the failure, Washington practically abandoned every initiative to help resume the talks and provided ideal conditions for Israel which enabled Tel Aviv to expand settlement construction across the West Bank, particularly in al-Quds (Jerusalem) while merely facing verbal criticism from the US and other Western capitals.

Obama’s policies added insult to Abbas’ injuries. Washington initially called for cessation of settlement construction as a condition for resumption of talks. The stance was very promising for the PA chief. However, the Israeli leaders managed to persuade or coerce the White House into abandoning the demand. As a result, Mahmoud Abbas has been left alone in his campaign to put an end to the settlement construction, while the other scenario, a two-state solution, slipping into oblivion.

The so-called Arab Spring was also to no avail for Abbas. From the political and pragmatic point of view, he is close to [former Egyptian dictator] Hosni Mubarak and [former Tunisian dictator] Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and lives in a world similar to theirs. 

The revolutionary transformation in the Arab countries gave priority to reforming the domestic situation and improving the social and economic conditions. The new leaders in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya do not have high opinions of Abbas. While, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh visits Cairo several times and addresses the Friday prayers in the city, Abbas totally comprehends that he can no longer see the Egyptian leaders standing by him and against Hamas.

Therefore, a Palestinian reconciliation, dissolution of the Gazan government, and establishment of a unified government have been totally forgotten and the Egyptian government has also forgotten them in what is another blow to Mahmoud Abbas government. The failure to achieve a national consensus is result of the uncertainty which not only governs Egypt but the entire Middle East. Egypt’s foreign policy is not been molded yet and Iran’s nuclear issue combined with Israel’s effort to get US involved in war against Iran and the crisis in Syria have further exacerbated that situation of uncertainty.

A short while ago, Abbas invited PLO and Fatah leaders to a meeting in the West Bank and asked them to deliberate upon two issues: holding simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections regardless of Hams’ objection, and repealing the Oslo Accords unilaterally. The latter shocked the participants in the meeting and they asked for more time to ponder over the issue. The underlying message of the first proposal - holding the elections - was in fact an emphasis on maintaining the Oslo Accords.

Under such circumstances, Mahmoud Abbas is pursuing membership of Palestine in the UN; an initiative which Obama welcomed two years ago but turned his back on it a year later.

The European governments are not independent from the US in their Middle East policies. Even the so-called French and British initiatives are nothing more than a series of efforts under the US umbrella. Therefore, in an attempt to avoid the last year's rejection, Abbas may minimize the level of his demand and not ask for full membership.

Meanwhile, Abbas marked a remarkable achievement last year by obtaining UNESCO membership for Palestine. The US immediately cut its annual USD 80 million contribution to the organization. No one wants the same to happen to the UN.

Nevertheless, there are still hopes for Mahmoud Abbas. Under the Camp David Accord, Israel should have granted a five-year autonomy to the territories occupied in 1967 and let the people determine their own fate through a referendum. The US ignored this part of the peace accord between Egypt and Israel in 1979, as a result of which Israel embarked on settlement construction in the West Bank in an attempt to ruin chances for the establishment of a sovereign and unified Palestinian country.

Now, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi reminds the US that Cairo is not the only party to respect the Camp David Accord and Washington itself should respect the provisions of the accord with regard to Palestine. Now, can Mahmoud Abbas open this window a little more?