Abbas and Netanyahu Shake Hands at Peres Funeral: Is it Diplomacy or a Mockery?

posted on: Sep 30, 2016

BY: Nisreen Eadeh/Staff Writer

World leaders gathered in Jerusalem on Friday for the funeral of former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. Among them was President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, who greeted Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife. The leaders shook hands and exchanged niceties in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. Mr. Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, even invited Mr. Abbas to their home.

“Long time, long time,” President Abbas said to the Netanyahus at their greeting, referencing how long it had been since they interacted. Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Abbas for attending the funeral, saying “Thank you, Mr. President. We really appreciate it.” The two leaders have not met formally since 2010 and have rarely shaken hands. The last time the two shook hands was at a climate conference in Paris last year.

Also in attendance was President Obama who flew overnight to attend the funeral. This is only the second overseas funeral Obama has attended during his eight years in office, the first being Nelson Mandela. In his eulogy, President Obama spoke about his special relationship with Shimon Peres and their shared love for history, books, and talking. He also likened Mr. Peres to Nelson Mandela – an internationally renowned symbol for justice and nonviolence – in an exaggerated comparison of Mr. Peres’ peaceful demeanor.

Mr. Peres has a much different legacy than what President Obama cares to remember, though. To Arabs, Peres is remembered as a colonizer who helped displace Palestinians, build the illegal settlements, build Israel’s nuclear weapons program, and command the brutal attacks on Lebanon and Egypt. Mr. Peres is one of Israel’s founding fathers and therefore a cause of Palestinian suffering and statelessness.

Palestinians have criticized Mr. Abbas for paying respect to an enemy and stepping into a cemetery named after the founder of Zionism, Theodor Herzl. Mr. Abbas sat in the front row, despite Israeli objections to his seating, but did not speak at the funeral.

Hamas, the governing body in Gaza, condemned Mr. Abbas’ attendance at the funeral. For years, the growing divides between Palestinian leadership have hindered the two regions – Gaza and the West Bank – from finding common ground on policies regarding Israel. Gaza and the West Bank continue to grow farther apart, both physically and politically, as negotiations stall. Mr. Netanyahu has made it clear that peace can only be achieved through security and talks between Israelis and Palestinians. International governing bodies and movements like BDS cannot play a part.

For Palestinians, an end to the conflict and occupation seems as out of reach as ever – a feeling that was confirmed at the funeral of Mr. Peres. Despite the fact that Mr. Peres is known in the West as a major participant in the Oslo Accords, the biography read to the crowd did not include this milestone at all. Nearly all of the eulogists left out the Oslo Accords, too, maybe under the impression that their failure could stain Mr. Peres’ honor.

Mr. Abbas’ attendance at the funeral may have been out of respect for the idea of peace between Israel and Palestine, but has not commented on the decision. Palestinians around the world are bewildered by Mr. Abbas’ presence, wondering what his motives were. Without a doubt, this decision was a political one, but with what ends? Perhaps Mr. Abbas went to show his diplomatic side and earn some points for future talks, but without the support and respect from his people, the Palestinian Authority president will not have a seat at the table for much longer.