Speaking at the emergency meeting convened Dec. 13 in Istanbul by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared that the Palestinians will no longer accept the United States as a mediator in a peace process with Israel.
Israel’s right-wing settlement establishment was evidently thrilled when the Palestinian leadership took the conductor’s baton away from US President Donald Trump and dismissed him from the traditional role of American leaders as orchestrators of Israeli-Palestinian mediation. For them, the Palestinian decision was just as satisfying as Trump’s Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Jewish lawmakers displayed their pleasure in an enthusiastic Knesset reception for Vice President Mike Pence on his Jan. 21-23 visit to Israel, reflecting their closeness with the US administration.
The Palestinians expressed their ire by boycotting his visit and denying the fervent evangelical Christian access to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. According to the rules of the zero-sum game that has taken Israel by storm under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a crisis in relations between Palestinians and Americans is a boon for Israeli interests. The truth is, there’s no greater fallacy.
The rift between the Palestinian leadership and the US administration is deeper than it appeared initially after Trump’s Jerusalem declaration. Its roots lie in Trump’s pledge soon after taking office to bring about the “ultimate deal” between Israelis and Palestinians, as portrayed in a document by veteran Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. The “deal,” as described by the secretary-general of the PLO’s Executive Committee, reflects a total lack of understanding by the Trump administration of the core issues underlying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For example, it demands that the Palestinians hand Israel 10% of the West Bank, nearly five times as much land as President Bill Clinton proposed when he tried to mediate between the sides in the year 2000. In addition, according to Erekat’s report, Israel would continue to hold overall security control over a future Palestinian state and along its borders. Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank, which it has occupied for 50 years, would be gradual, with no set timetable, in accordance with Palestinian security performance.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
