This is the least important news you will read today, but it says a lot.
November 15 is considered by Palestinians to be their "independence day" because Yasir Arafat declared it as such in 1988, in a move that was accepted by practically nobody.
The official Wafa news agency recorded the congratulatory telegrams that Mahmoud Abbas received from national leaders on the occasion. One press release describes those sent from Mauritania, Pakistan, Senegal and Tajikistan.
The contents of these telegrams are all identical.
In their telegrams, the presidents and officials affirmed their continued keenness to develop and strengthen fraternal relations with the State of Palestine, in a way that serves common interests and contributes to the progress and stability of the region .They stressed their continued support for the Palestinian people and their just cause to restore their legitimate national rights and enable them to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The wording in the second paragraph is identical to countless official Palestinian statements. It is not language that national leaders would come up with on their own when sending communications like this.
Similarly, the message from the president of Tunisia:
It gives me pleasure, on the occasion of the commemoration of the 34th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, to address you on behalf of myself and on behalf of the Tunisian people, with warmest congratulations and sincere fraternal wishes for good health and wellness, and for the Palestinian people to recover their legitimate rights that will not be forfeited by statute of limitations and to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
What appears to have happened is that Palestinian diplomats asked their host countries to write congratulatory notes to Mahmoud Abbas, and in some cases told them what to say! (A few other telegrams, from Sweden, Malta, and Nicaragua were more generic. The ones from Turkey and Jordan mentioned a two state solution with "East Jerusalem" as the capital of Palestine. )
This way the PA can issue a press release making Abbas sound like an elder statesman with widespread support. Most of his press releases are about sending and receiving similar telegrams on the occasion of various state holidays, so he feels like he is part of the community of world leaders.
It is sort of pathetic.
But this trivial episode reveals the deep level of manipulation that the Palestinians put into all of their diplomatic efforts, alternatively threatening or cajoling or just wearing down other nations with their demands, which sometimes pays off.
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