Who determines what is possible? On pragmatism, the limits of Palestinian politics, and Mansour Abbas's discourse
An opinion article on Arab 48 criticizes Mansour Abbas's election speech, which described Palestinian national demands as 'unrealistic slogans', and questions who determines what is 'possible' politically in light of what it describes as Jewish ethnic supremacy and genocide in Gaza.
In an opinion article published on the Arab 48 website, the writer criticizes Mansour Abbas's election speech delivered on October 18, 2026, in which he considered demands such as ending the occupation, achieving peace, and abolishing the Jewish character of the state as 'unrealistic slogans' in current Israeli politics. The writer argues that the real disagreement is not about acknowledging the difficulty of achieving national demands, but about who has the authority to define what is 'possible' politically. The article links this discussion to a broader context including 'genocide in Gaza' and the continuation of colonial-settlement practices in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza, and the restriction of the political space for Palestinians in Israel. The writer concludes that pragmatism does not mean reducing demands to what the Israeli establishment accepts, but rather working to change the balance of power.