Grounded by Occupation: How Israel Humiliated Mahmoud Abbas Over Damascus Visit
A blocked helicopter, altered travel plans, and a public political slap — the latest episode in Abbas’s ongoing struggle for authority and dignity.
Watan-The episodes of political humiliation endured by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas continue — this time, from the air! In a shocking scene that reflects the fragility of what is known as “Palestinian sovereignty,” media reports revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally blocked a Jordanian helicopter from landing in Ramallah. The helicopter was designated to transport Abbas to the Syrian capital, Damascus.
Sources close to Abbas’s office confirmed that he had submitted an official request to facilitate the helicopter’s landing and takeoff, but the Israeli side rejected it without providing any justification. This forced Abbas to completely alter his travel plans, instead making his way by land to the Allenby Bridge crossing, then to Amman, and from there flying to Damascus on the same Jordanian helicopter.
The incident, reported by the “i24NEWS” channel, once again highlighted the degrading relationship imposed by the occupation on the Palestinian Authority — even in the simplest formal movements of its president. Observers described the event as a “public political slap,” pointing to Abbas’s complete lack of real influence in the territories he is supposed to govern.
Abbas’s Long Road to Damascus
The irony is that Abbas, who has long boasted about his security coordination with Israel, now faces unprecedented humiliation by the very party to whom he has offered all forms of obedience. Netanyahu even publicly described him as “a security partner who cannot be dispensed with.” Is this the reward?
On the other side, he was received by Syria’s acting president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, at the People’s Palace in Damascus, in what appeared to be a largely ceremonial rather than political meeting. Damascus, which manages its relationships with Palestinian factions pragmatically, seems cautious not to burn its cards early with an authority that is disoriented and lacking in popular support.
The visit appeared to be a desperate attempt by Abbas to gain political recognition from the new Damascus — or at least a photo to restore some of his dwindling stature. But at the same time, it exposed the depth of the crisis facing the Palestinian Authority and Abbas’s increasing diplomatic impotence, as he has become a symbol of political weakness — even his means of travel is determined by his adversary.
