PA: Obama midterm fall could give Netanyahu raise

With Democrats expected to experience strong losses, PLO official, Abed Rabbo, says "PM is not negotiating with us, he is negotiating with US."

By JPOST.COM STAFF
abed rabbo 298 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski )
abed rabbo 298
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski )
Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior PLO official and adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, feels that Obama's performance in the upcoming US midterm elections could seriously affect direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, according to a Reuters report Wednesday.
Rabbo was quoted as saying "If Obama comes out of the election considerably weaker, then Netanyahu will use this new balance to try to get everything he wants."
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The report continued to highlight that Rabbo said "Netanyahu is not negotiating with us. He is negotiating with the Americans."
Obama's Democrats are expected to experience heavy losses and Israeli ministers expect this will force Obama to prevent anything that could harm relations between the two countries, according to the Reuters report.
Abed Rabbo said he thought Obama could present new peace proposals after the election, particularly on defining border, that would not be in line with Netanyahu's thinking.
"I am sure he will hate these bridging proposals. That is why he is playing all these games with the Americans," he said, the report continued.
"The Americans, in a very incompetent way, have put everyone in a very tight corner," said Shlomo Avineri, professor of political science at the Hebrew University and a former director-general of Israel's foreign ministry.
"Everyone understands that if there is going to be another confrontation, the US administration does not want it to happen before the election," he added.