Israelis Who Still See Abbas As Credible Peace Partner Gather In Kiosk

“We managed to achieve a ratio of European journalists to participants of exactly three to one, if you count the proprietor of the place.”

Tel Aviv, July 27 – A coalition of peace activists who still believe Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas can be counted on to arrive at and implement a final-status agreement with Israel convened Monday at a small refreshment booth on the Tel Aviv University campus to discuss strategy and share their recent experiences leading the popular movement.

As many as four attendees were present at the gathering at once, bringing total participation in the open-house-style event to just shy of last year’s eight. Called for 10 AM – 2 PM, the convention officially kicked off  when a quorum of two people was achieved at 10:45. Organizers credited a social media campaign, a petition in Haaretz, and a supportive cadre of foreign correspondents for helping this year’s gathering reach the single digits, setting a new record for the organizers, who have now met that threshold seven years in a row.

“We almost had to book the kiosk next door, the one that sells fresh juice,” said Tzfon Telavivi, director of Peace is a Limited-time Opportunity (PLO). “We managed to achieve a ratio of European journalists to participants of exactly three to one, if you count the proprietor of the place, and that’s a really encouraging sign. We can count on our friends in the international media to carry our message far and wide: that the PLO is leading the campaign for a solution to the conflict, and we are gathered here in Tel Aviv to underline that.”

Telavivi, who spent all morning setting up the venue as the storekeeper sold newspapers, cigarettes, and refreshments, was the only attendee present through the entire event, an experience that gave him a broader perspective on the proceedings than the other participants. “At about 11:30 in the morning, when we had barely covered any of the items on the agenda, we got a call from two people on their way who were stuck in traffic. There were three participants here at the time, and that already accounted for a good chunk of our constituency. I knew it wasn’t necessary to have everyone come in the morning, so we reassured the latecomers we would wait for them, and took a break for lunch.” The break lasted until 1:30, allowing the participants – some of whom stayed as long as 25 minutes – to end on a high note.

“We were supposed to close up shop at 2, but things were going strong, and we were able to extend that by a good eight or nine minutes,” he recalled. “If this doesn’t show there’s popular support for a deal right now, then I don’t know what Netanyahu is thinking. The people have spoken, and I don’t personally know anyone who thinks differently.”

An attendee asked the shopkeeper to keep an eye out for coverage of the event in Tuesday’s edition of Haaretz, but the proprietor answered that he stopped selling that publication three years ago when no one bought it.