Israeli researchers have accused Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of spying for the Soviets in the 1980s, Palestinians see the claim as part of an Israeli smear campaign to get rid of him

It's no secret that Israeli-Palestinian relations have been marred by tension since mid-2014. At that time, the path toward a political solution reached an impasse and negotiations were suspended, leading to nonstop Israeli accusations that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is not a partner for peace and that he has been inciting violence against Israelis.

The latest Israeli allegation against Abbas came in a report broadcast by Israel’s Channel 1 on Sept. 7, claiming that Abbas was an agent for the Soviet KGB when he was a member of Fatah’s Central Committee in 1983. According to the report, Abbas’ code name was "Krotov," and he was recruited during his Ph.D. studies in Moscow and served as a KGB agent in Syria.

The Israeli allegation immediately sparked angry reactions from Palestinians, and many Palestinian officials protested. In a Sept. 8 statement to Agence France-Presse, presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said he considered the Israeli accusation part of an Israeli smear campaign against Abbas aimed at weakening the Palestinian position.

Amin Maqbul, a member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, told Al-Monitor, “The allegations against Abbas are part of an Israeli strategy that takes aim at his national principles. They are also part of a generalized Israeli smear campaign accusing Abbas of not being a partner for peace, unqualified to conduct negotiations with Israelis and not representative of all Palestinians. Surely this campaign against the president, which is based on misinformation, will not affect the Palestinian public's view of Abbas, but actually rally Palestinians behind him.”

Israel's most recent allegation against Abbas was not the first. In March, the Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon claimed that Abbas’ children are wealthy, accusing them of involvement in corruption. According to the newspaper, Abbas’ children own a number of mobile phone and cigarette distribution companies and have built a business empire, with their father’s long incumbency since 2005 helping them to amass fortunes.

Also, in late June, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement accusing Abbas of anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism, and in July, Netanyahu renewed his attack on Abbas, accusing him of spreading “blood libel.” On Sept. 10, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz alleged that Abbas was promoting "ethnic cleansing" against settlers in his calls for them to evacuate the West Bank.

The head of the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies (Masarat), Hani al-Masri, told Al-Monitor, “Israeli accusations against Abbas are the product of an Israeli government strategy aimed at pressuring the president before completely eliminating him from the Palestinian scene. It also seeks to blackmail Abbas for more political compromises so as to impose Israeli plans for the transitional solution with Palestinians. All this is delaying the foundation of a Palestinian state and the application of self-rule as an alternative to independence, and to eventually force the Palestinians to resume negotiations with Israel without preconditions.”

The accusation that Abbas was a Soviet agent coincides with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman’s announcement Aug. 27 that he embarked on direct negotiations with Palestinian figures without coordinating with the Palestinian Authority, which can be seen as new Israeli strategy to end Abbas’ political rule. On Aug. 31, Liberman slammed Abbas and accused him of heading a corrupt regime, calling on Palestinians businessmen to get rid of him.

Hamas has been noticeably silent on the accusations. Al-Monitor contacted a number of Hamas spokesmen who refused to comment without giving reasons.

However, Ahmed Yousef, former political adviser to the deputy chairman of Hamas' political bureau, told Al-Monitor, “These accusations will pave the way for more in the coming days. Israel wishes to put more pressure on Abbas, and may even consider ousting him, especially since Israel now believes that his political role has come to an end and that it is time to look for someone to succeed him — someone who’s more flexible and easily dealt with. What’s remarkable is that Israel’s allegations against Abbas coincide with an Arab campaign against Abbas, making his situation harder to manage and portraying him as a weak ruler. If Hamas were to back Abbas, it would only do so after he approaches Hamas with a unitary agenda to rally support for the cause against Israel.”

Israel’s allegations against Abbas are reminding Palestinians of those made against former President Yasser Arafat. In January 2002, Israel accused Arafat of ordering the purchase of weapons to fight Israelis.

Also, in October 2015, Netanyahu accused Palestinian leader Haj Amin al-Husseini, mufti of Jerusalem from 1921-1937, of inspiring the Nazis to embark on the Holocaust during World War II.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Palestinian minister told Al-Monitor, “The Israeli propaganda campaign against Abbas will not stop at accusing him of spying for the Soviets, as we have documented information about Tel Aviv’s plan to end his political career and destroy his reputation in the eyes of the Palestinian public. What’s worse is that the Israeli campaign is being coupled with a wave of incitement against him from neighboring countries — namely Egypt, Jordan and the UAE — that seek to replace Abbas with his archrival Mohammed Dahlan as president. All this gives more reason to believe that there is indeed a conspiracy to get rid of him.”

Abbas couldn’t have imagined that Israel would one day decide to do away with him, especially after it had imposed him on the international community and the US administration at the expense of his longtime friend Arafat. Abbas’ appointment as prime minister in 2002 was a prelude to stripping Arafat of his political, security and financial powers before his death in November 2004, which some Palestinians believe was an assassination. In Abbas’ case, Israel is likely to resort to soft power in the form of a smear campaign before ousting him for good.