I think that the Times profile on Mahmoud Abbas is interesting and drives home the point that one of the potentially most crucial moments in Palestine’s history is being brought about by an unlikely leader. The first two paragraphs of the profile “Man in the News – Mahmoud Abbas,” make it clear that the current leader of Palestine does not have the personality of an instigator, yet is stirring controversy by the virtue of his country. Abbas himself is quoted saying about his pursuit of a seat at the United Nations, “Confrontational step? How? I am not confronting anybody. I am talking openly to everybody that I want peace.”
The Times certainly could not have picked a more unflattering photo of the Palestinian leader to put on the front page. Combined with the quote, "We never thought of him as having his finger on the pulse of the Palestinian people the way Arafat did," the Times is presenting Abbas as the practical politician who, while perhaps always in the shadow of the more charismatic Arafat, still is putting forth significant changes. However, the article questions the ability to lead a country full of people that only support the policies, rather than the man himself. The Times calls Abbas “moody,” and “brooding,” and the photo they provide certainly reflects that sentiment as well.
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