ASSESSMENTS

Mahmoud Abbas: The Survivor Is Still Standing

Oct 15, 2016 | 13:15 GMT

Lessons From Old Case Files

(Stratfor)

The difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter is often a matter of perspective. Earlier this month, Mahmoud Abbas, one of the last of a generation of leaders who, depending on your point of view, fits one or perhaps both labels, drew more than a little international attention. On Oct. 8, the 81-year-old Palestinian president was hospitalized briefly for a heart assessment after feeling faint. Just over a week before that, Abbas made headlines for shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Shimon Peres' funeral. The brief exchange drew the ire of many Palestinians (one of whom, a Palestinian security officer, was sentenced to a year in prison for criticizing the gesture). But it was not Abbas' first brush with diplomacy -- or controversy. Before he became the president of the Palestinian Authority, Abbas was among the founding members of Fatah, and he made many visits to the...

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