Spinning the disaster in Gaza

Salon News: By Aluf Benn

U.S. and Israeli leaders scrambled to spin the new reality in Gaza favorably. Instead of mourning Abbas' clear defeat, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke of 'a new opportunity,' as if a good thing had happened. U.S. and European governments were quick to lift the boycott on the Palestinian Authority and resume foreign aid, while Israel pledged to follow suit and release frozen Palestinian tax revenues. On Tuesday, Olmert visited President Bush at the White House, and as always, both committed themselves to the elusive 'two-state solution' for Israel and Palestine. Olmert pledged to make 'every possible effort' to cooperate with Abbas, while Bush vowed to strengthen Abbas and Salam Fayyad, the hastily appointed Fatah prime minister in the West Bank, whom Bush called 'a good fellow.' Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Olmert said, 'I'm absolutely determined that there is an opportunity,' and pledged to supply the conditions for a Palestinian state. Bush again spoke of an 'ideological conflict' between moderates and extremists, tying together Iraq, Lebanon and Abbas in a fledgling web of democracy.

It was hard to believe. Only days ago, Abbas was seen as a hopeless weakling who could offer little beyond nice words. Israeli officials showed respect for Abbas' stated anti-terrorist position but failed to persuade him to confront Hamas and opposed any efforts to accommodate the militants. Even within Fatah, Abbas has had only limited authority. Lacking the charisma and public admiration of his predecessor, Yasser Arafat, the soft-spoken Abbas could not rein in the many offshoots and private armies that spun off from Fatah. And he has only been further diminished by the humiliating defeat in Gaza at the hands of the smaller but more disciplined Hamas force.

Even the remaining few in Israel's "peace camp" have little faith in Abbas. One prominent leader of the political left, who has a long history of talking to Palestinian leaders, told me recently that Israel should still work to negotiate a draft peace agreement with Abbas -- even knowing full well that he will not be able to implement it. "It's important for Israel's legitimacy," the Israeli leader said. Realistically, the Bush White House has long shared the view of Abbas as an ineffective leader, but it had no alternative Palestinian leader to back -- hence its continued support for Abbas.

Their doubts and disappointment notwithstanding, both Bush and Olmert have an interest in casting Abbas and the situation in Gaza in a positive light. ...