Lauder made the comments after Abbas said in a UN speech on Wednesday that the Palestinians no longer consider themselves bound by the Oslo peace accords.
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“The Israeli Prime Minister castigated United Nations delegates for hounding the Jewish state on Thursday in a speech bursting with rhetorical pyrotechnics, apocalyptic warnings and a haunting pause of silence”.
“But the failure of everyone – Palestinians, Israelis and Americans – to build on the promise of Oslo is a tragedy for all“.
The Palestinians campaigned for a General Assembly resolution, approved September 10, permitting United Nations observer states to fly their flags alongside those of member states.
The Israeli leader’s speech to world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly was notable for his rhetorical flourishes, including 47 seconds of silence about 15 minutes into his address. Abbas’ speech reflected growing Palestinian frustration and appeared aimed at focusing the attention of the international community – busy with the Syrian civil war and the migrants’ crisis in Europe – on the long-festering Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The past round of peace talks ended in failure when Israel reneged on promised prisoner releases.
Netanyahu described Israeli-U.S. bickering over the deal as “a disagreement within the family”, and the United States also downplayed any lasting effects of the fallout over an agreement that Washington praises and Israel condemns.
Tayeb Abdel Rahim, Secretary General of the Palestinian presidency, said Abbas had “expressed everything the Palestinian people are feeling”.
“We will start the implementation of this declaration by all peaceful and legal means”, he said. Unfortunately, President Abbas said on Wednesday that he is not prepared to do this.
“Israel will not allow Iran to break in, to sneak in or to walk in to the nuclear weapons club”, he declared in an allusion to his country’s vow to strike at Iran militarily as a last resort.
The New York Times editorial also downplayed Abbas’s efforts to achieve international recognition of Palestinian statehood.
He said, You think Iran is doing that to advance peace? President Abbas, I know its not easy.
He said, I know its hard.
The Palestinians want to bring together world dignitaries and the media to gather around and watch as Mahmoud Abbas raises the flag.
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His hopes of creating a Palestinian state through negotiations with Israel have been derailed. “We will not know what the trigger is until it happens”.
