Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas completely rejected President Obama’s charge that the terrorist group Hamas is an obstacle to peace. He will not even consider ending the new pact between Fatah and Hamas. After all, “Hamas is a part of Palestinian society,” and thus has every right to be a partner in the government.
It was not the response that Obama wanted to hear. In fact, Abbas turned his back on the President of the United States. Yet the New York Times would never publish a headline such as the one above. No, it is only Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu who gets the “Ice” treatment for thanking Obama but raising concerns about the subject on the 1967 lines. “Netanyahu Responds Icily to Obama remarks” is the headline the New York Times chose.
But when the President of the United States makes a specific demand that the leader of the Palestinian Authority rejects out of hand, it would seem a more “icy” response than anything Netanayahu has said.
