On Tuesday we asked if Israel provoked rockets from Gaza to pressure Palestinians to back off UN bid, the next day all hell broke loose. Thursday we reported the Palestinian UN envoy claimed Israel’s attack on Gaza was ‘deliberately timed to torpedo the UN vote.’ Yesterday Abbas accused Israel of instigating a “blood bath.”

Reuters:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel on Friday of launching an assault on the Gaza Strip to undermine his efforts to secure a diplomatic upgrade at the United Nations.

Israel began its air offensive on Wednesday with the declared aim of stemming surges of rocket strikes by Islamist militants that have disrupted life in southern Israeli towns.

Abbas, whose forces were chased out of Gaza by Hamas in 2007, accused Israel of instigating a “blood bath”, telling reporters he thought the escalating military campaign was aimed at sinking his own diplomatic maneuverings.

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“Everything that is happening is in order to block our endeavors to reach the United Nations,” Abbas told journalists.

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“Undoubtedly we consider that this aggression is against us, the Palestinian people,” he said.

Despite the violence, he said he would push ahead with plans for a vote at the U.N. General Assembly before the end of the month to give the Palestinians the rank of an “observer state” within the world body rather than the present “observer entity”.

The upgrade would enhance Palestinians’ legal rights at a time when peace negotiations with Israel have hit a wall over Israel’s refusal to halt settlement building in territory where the Palestinians want their state.

“We are going to the United Nations to vote on the resolution of our becoming an observer state on the 29th of this month. Nothing will deter us,” Abbas said.