During a meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority refrained from displaying an American flag behind the U.S. official in a move that was seen as “humiliating” for the United States.
Following discussions with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv, Blinken visited Ramallah on Wednesday to meet Abbas and discuss postwar plans for Gaza.
Surrounded by aides, the two shook hands before a photo of Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock and a Palestinian flag.
But what stood out was the absence of the U.S. flag behind Blinken, especially in contrast to the presence of the Palestinian Authority (PA) flag behind Abbas. The only semblance of an American flag that appeared was a mini one that rested on the table between the two figures.
The move stands in opposition to the common protocol of displaying flags of the nations or entities represented by the officials during such diplomatic meetings.
After the meeting, Blinken said he trusts PA President Mahmoud Abbas to “reform” the PA so that it can take over governing functions in Gaza at the end of Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists there.
The PA, under Abbas and his Fatah movement, have long proven themselves nonviable partners for peace due to their actions and policies that stand in stark opposition to the objectives of a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Tuesday marked the 19th anniversary of Abbas’s election as PA president. The long-serving Abbas — who has remained PA president for nearly two decades despite a four-year term limit — leads this supposedly “moderate” Palestinian faction that endorses a perspective paralleling that of Hamas.
While his security forces have participated in scores of deadly terror attacks against Israelis, he himself has a history of conveying inciting antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric. Governments and leaders across the globe voiced outrage over “horrifying” remarks in a recent speech he delivered in which he claimed Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was not an antisemite and that the Jews of Europe during his era were not killed due to their Jewish identity, but due to their “role in society,” including “usury.”
Despite frequent media assertions, neither Abbas nor any of the groups he heads fall under the category of “moderate,” with Hamas’s October 7 massacre — the deadliest against Jewish people since the Nazi Holocaust, which saw the torture, rape, execution, and abduction of hundreds of Israeli civilians — having received broad support from Palestinian factions across the board.
Aside from Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad perpetrating the brutal October attack, the “moderate” Fatah expressed support and even participated in it, while the PA has refused to condemn Hamas and the group’s atrocities.
The PA, which serves as the administrative organization established to govern the Palestinian territories (particularly in Judea and Samaria, a.k.a the West Bank), has a history of refusing to fully recognize Israel as well as supporting terror activities against the Jewish state, coupled with promoting anti-Israeli sentiment through media and education.
Palestinian education, controlled by the PA, systematically indoctrinates children with hatred towards Israel and Jews. Textbooks and curricula across various subjects delegitimize Israel’s existence, demonize Jews, and incite violent struggle, with no emphasis on peace and coexistence.
The PA has also consistently rejected all of Israel’s offers for a state. Despite the numerous proposals, every Israeli attempt to offer land concessions has been met with terror waves, beginning with attacks under late PLO leader Arafat in the 1990s following the failed Oslo accords, to the Second Intifada in the early 2000s, to Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 that prompted 18 years of rocket attacks.
Aside from its governance issues, including corruption and authoritarian practices, the PA incites terror against Israel and celebrates the killers of Jews, as it continues naming public parks and monuments after terrorists.
Following the October 7 massacre, the PA falsely claimed the rave massacre was committed by the IDF, while PA Ambassador to Iraq Amad Rwaidy, who was appointed by Abbas in September, argued that Israeli civilians killed in Hamas’s unprecedented attack were not to be regarded as innocent.
In addition, an official document recently published by the PA outlined calls for imams to incite violence and murder in Friday sermons, citing a religious text for Muslims to “fight the Jews” and “kill” them all.
In April, a violence-themed musical was broadcast on PA television calling to fight Israelis “everywhere” with “blood and stones.”
The PA is also reported to have allocated roughly $2.8 million to families of deceased Hamas terrorists as part of a program compensating those involved in terrorist acts, with additional funds for the families and imprisoned members.
This payout is part of the “pay-for-slay” initiative, officially termed the “Martyrs’ Fund,” wherein financial rewards are granted for carrying out terrorist attacks, with higher compensation for more devastating acts.
Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled the PA can be held liable for terrorism and sued by the families of those killed in terror attacks as a result of the policy.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that the PA, like Hamas, seeks the utter demise of the State of Israel, arguing that the difference between the two groups is only a matter of methodology.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden continues to push for working with the PA, insisting the largely failed two-state solution for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the “only way” to ensure long-term security for both Israelis and Palestinians in a new post-Hamas Gaza.
In addition, U.S. officials continue to explore options for the PA to potentially govern Gaza again, though implementing the plan faces challenges due to the PA’s historical struggles, including its 2007 ousting from Gaza by Hamas, issues of corruption, unpopularity, and declining international support.
Blinken did not indicate what had convinced him that Abbas would reform the PA.
This was not the first time the U.S. flag was not displayed at a meeting between the two. The same scene appeared during their meeting in May 2021 during a joint press conference with Abbas in Ramallah.
In October, Abbas canceled his meeting with President Joe Biden in Jordan in what was seen as a humiliating snub shortly after the hospital explosion in Gaza that was proven to be the result of a misfire by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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