Abbas' dismal failure at the United Nations

President Abbas strongly denounced Israel's massive air attacks against Gaza, but did not even allude to the nearly 4,000 rockets fired indiscriminately by Hamas at Israel's urban centers including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Abbas rightfully condemned the abduction of a young Palestinian boy, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, who was gruesomely burned alive, but conveniently forgot the kidnapping and summary execution of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas' operatives-Naftali Fraenkel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifran-which precipitated the latest Israel-Hamas war.

I am not a great fan of Prime Minister Netanyahu and have for years been critical of his policy toward the Palestinians. However, in his speech at the UNGA, he rose above the fray and conveyed a message that resonated even among the Arab states' representatives as he likened Hamas to ISIS.

Netanyahu emphasized the danger of militant Islamists to the Arab states and skillfully pointed out that Shiite Iran is a threat not only to Israel but also to the Sunni Arab states. He drew a glaring common cause to which every Arab state could subscribe.

Instead of engaging in a tit-for-tat with Abbas, Netanyahu did not even once criticize the Palestinian Authority, but rather singled out Hamas who instigated the last war that led to the death of nearly 2,100 Palestinians and massive destruction throughout Gaza.

Netanyahu clung to the larger regional picture and made a strong case that the regional challenges can be met when Israel and the Arab states are at peace, which will facilitate and usher in peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

As I read and reread Abbas' speech, I wondered who the advisors are that recommended he go on a tirade against Israel in front of the international community instead of putting forth constructive and credible plans that would advance the Palestinian quest for a state of their own.

Demanding an end to the occupation within an unspecified period is not a plan; to threaten to turn to the International Criminal Court is not a plan; to join Hamas without insisting that it renounce violence is not a plan.

Instead, he should have started by seeking the support of the international community to resettle the Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza, instead of continuously using them as political pawns for seven decades.

For Abbas to fall into the trap that Hamas carefully dug for him suggests only one thing: squeezed between Israel and Hamas, Abbas lost his bearings. He knows only too well that Hamas seeks his political demise and instead of calling a spade a spade, he succumbed to the bitter reality of Palestinian factionalism and Hamas' whims.

The Palestinians have no leaders with vision and courage, leaders who can change the political discourse and abandon the old narrative of hatred and animosity toward Israel and the empty slogans that have long since lost any meaning and only poison another generation of Palestinians.

That said, Abbas can still play an important role in the upcoming indirect Israeli-Hamas negotiations in Cairo. He may now have one more chance to assert his leadership. He can do so by insisting that the Palestinian Authority take real charge over the security in Gaza, which in any case both Egypt and Israel insist upon.