Israelis cast doubts on seriousness of Abbas

Eitan Dangot, a former general who once headed the Defense Ministry body for coordinating with the Palestinians, joins the ranks of Israelis casting doubt over the practical ramifications of Mahmoud Abbas’s declaration ending agreements with Israel and the US.

“He’s just ratcheting up the threat level. Abbas won’t take a practical step, and is trying to put pressure on Israel,” he tells Army Radio.

An analyst for the station notes that the timing of the announcement — during Ramadan — and Abbas’s relatively jolly tone also do not line up with the seriousness of such a move.

However Nasser Laham, the head of the Palestinian Maan news agency, calls Abbas’s speech “historic” and “serious.”

“The man who signed the Oslo Accords 25 years ago is ending them and opening up all kinds of possibilities,” he tweets.