NY Times reporter Isabel Kershner debunks the idea that the return of Palestinian pilgrims was a boost for Mahmoud Abbas:
In reality, though, the episode of the Hamas-sponsored pilgrimage from Gaza has been embarrassing for Mr. Abbas. The Abbas-led Palestinian Authority, which rules from the West Bank, went to great efforts to organize an official quota of about 1,000 Gaza pilgrims, who were to travel to Saudi Arabia and back via Israel, the West Bank and Jordan.
When the other 2,000 pilgrims left unexpectedly through Rafah, under the auspices of Hamas and with Egyptian and Saudi cooperation, Palestinian officials in the West Bank said they felt that they were “stabbed in the back.”
Last month, the Times effectively detailed why Abbas felt “stabbed in the back.”
