The United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the ‘New York Declaration’ on resolving the Palestinian issue through peaceful means and implementing the two-state solution puts things on the right track. The most important aspect is that the Arab and Palestinian intentions should be sincere.
The announcement of 142 countries to recognize the two-state solution compels the world to act decisively despite the statement of the United States Secretary of State in Tel Aviv. He said, “We have warned countries against recognizing the Palestinian State, and Israel will react to that.”
However, if Arab and Palestinian whims continue to control sensitive positions, this will push the international community to abandon its positions, so the opportunity will be lost, just as successive opportunities have been lost since 1947 till date. As I have said many times, this issue has entered the political marketplace. Every regime, leader, or commander now has its own grocery store to exploit the blood and daily suffering of the Palestinian people. Everyone raises the slogan, “Liberating Palestine from the sea to the river,” while Israel continues to expand.
Let us be frank: Tel Aviv is supported by the entire Western capitals, led by Washington. American Senator Lindsey Graham was clear when he said in Beirut, “If America abandons Israel, God will abandon us.” This is not a passing position; it has been the firm decision that the United States has adopted since its inception. This is the fact that we must internalize. This is why we cannot deal with the issue through slogans, wishes, and dreams.
Things cannot proceed as the wish of some Arab leaders who, up to this day, still adopt the slogans of Ahmad Shukeiri and Gamal Abdel Nasser about throwing the Jews into the sea. The truth is that when this slogan was launched, Tel Aviv was establishing its nuclear project, which means such slogans did not frighten Israel.
The aide of David Ben-Gurion responded, “Arabs do not distinguish between good and bad.” We must admit that Arab peoples have been brainwashed and exploited in the worst possible way by their leaders, because the Arabs neither possess a military force comparable to that of Israel nor do they possess military industries.
Foreign Arab allies focus only on their own interests, without harming their interests with Israel. Positions have a high cost. Therefore, Arabs cannot rely on allies in war. Consequently, we must be realistic in dealing with the Palestinian issue, especially after what happened on Oct 7, 2023, and the insane ‘Hamas flood’ that brought anguish to 2,200,000 Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.
The West Bank is under military rule, while Israel expands its settlements. These conditions have deprived the Palestinian National Authority of the ability to exercise its power over its land, which is supposed to be the core of an independent State. If we, as Arabs, want to support the Palestinian cause, we must take the right path. We must abandon our dreams because the Arab and Islamic worlds do not have the capacity to defeat Israel. Each has its own calculations, so the bazaar will expand further, and the opportunity will be lost once again. No one outside the Arab or Islamic world will stand with us, because every position has its cost. They will do nothing more than issue condemnation statements.
The opportunity is available now, after the announcement of the United Nations. A realistic solution begins with the Palestinians removing the pretexts from Israel by releasing Israeli prisoners, accepting a peaceful settlement, and removing Hamas from power in Gaza. Otherwise, we will remain trapped in a vicious cycle. Politicians will continue to invest in Palestinian blood and Hamas will become crazier. Will the Arabs understand this? This question must be posed to the rational Arabs.
