Do not squander the last vestiges of a fading opportunity

And if you believe that the United Nations can prevent Netanyahu from moving ahead with his annexation plans, then you have learned nothing from the past. The US will veto any resolution that condemns Israel, let alone one that will demand the reversal of territories that have already been annexed.

You can turn of course to the UN General Assembly and you will find a receptive audience, but to what end? A majority of states will certainly pass a resolution that will condemn Israel in the strongest terms and demand that it rescind its annexation. This, however, will amount to nothing more than public relations, as the UNGA's resolution will have no impact simply because it has no enforcement mechanism to compel Israel to change course.

In relation to Israel, you have missed the boat time and again. Since the second Intifada in 2000, your belligerent attitude toward Israel, and Chairman Arafat before you, have pushed the Israelis toward the right-of-center. Nearly 50 percent of the population has given up on any prospect of peace based on a two-state solution. The last three consecutive Israeli elections offered a glaring picture as to where the Israelis stand.

For the past 11 years in particular, Netanyahu made it abundantly clear that there will be no Palestinian state under his watch and made it his life's mission to expand the settlements to a point where it would be impossible to restore the status quo ante. Come July, Netanyahu is poised to move swiftly with Trump's support to annex a significant part of the West Bank, which is nothing but the kiss of death to the creation of a Palestinian state.

Whether Netanyahu ends up in prison because of the three criminal charges against him, or is exonerated and departs his office in peace, he will have fundamentally changed the nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its outcome if he implements his annexation plans. Netanyahu has sworn to establish 'greater Israel' that expands from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River, regardless of how adversely that might affect the country's future on multiple fronts.

Given the US' unequivocal support, there is no country or any radical group that can effectively stop Netanyahu from realizing his own life-long dream unless you preempt Netanyahu's annexation plans by announcing immediately your readiness and willingness to enter into unconditional peace negotiations. In so doing, you give pause to the Trump administration and increase the pressure on Israel by the Arab states to postpone the annexation to await the outcome of the negotiations. To be sure, you have no one to turn to, and if you miss this last opportunity, you will subject your people to decades more of suffering, hopelessness, and despair.

We are all mortal, Mr. Abbas, and you have come near the end. What legacy do you want to leave behind? Do you want to be remembered as a loser, whose shortsightedness, lack of courage and self-conceit betrayed his people, or as the leader who finally rose to the occasion to bring peace and prosperity to his countrymen before it was too late?