PA Chairman Abbas
PA Chairman AbbasIsrael news photo: Flash 90

American Jewish lobbyists have been convinced to take a pro-Palestinian Authority position, and to ask US President Barack Obama to turn up the pressure on Israel, according to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas made the claims while speaking at a meeting of the Fatah organization's central committee.

The lobbyists “told me that I had created a revolution among American Jews, and that they had decided to go to President Obama and tell him: there is a Palestinian partner for peace – but is there an Israeli partner?” Abbas said.

"They promised they would go to Netanyahu and tell him to disassemble his coalition or announce that he agrees to a two-state solution,” he added.

The US Jewish leaders Abbas referred to were members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organization, the Anti-Defamation League, and the left-wing Americans for Peace Now and J Street organizations.

Abbas met with them in June, at a dinner hosted by the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. During his speech at the dinner Abbas condemned violence, incitement and Holocaust denial.

The PA leader accused Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of attempting to undermine him when it came to US Jews. “Binyamin Netanyahu tried as hard as he could to convince the Jewish lobby not to meet with me, and told them I'm a liar... When they told him what I just told you [following the meeting] he got angry and told them I'm fooling them and they can't believe me,” Abbas claimed.