Normalization agreements with Israel: the end of the Arab consensus around Palestine
Plestinians burning posters of the King of Bahrain, Hamed ben Issa al-Khalifa, US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on September 12 in the Gaza Strip.
MAHMUD HAMS / AFP
Text by: Alice Froussard Follow
4 min
The agreements to normalize Israel's relations with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain will be signed this Tuesday, September 15 in Washington.
A historic day for the Israelis, a heavy blow for the Palestinians.
These agreements shatter the consensus that existed in the Arab countries.
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From our correspondent in Ramallah,
If the Palestinian cause had long served as a glue for countries with divergent interests in the Middle East, this seems to be over.
According to Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, it is "
a dark day
" in the history of the Arab world, a day "
to be added to the calendar of Palestinian misery
".
For this dark day, calls for demonstrations are being declared across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, but also abroad, in front of the Embassies of the United States, Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
In a joint statement, the first since the “
united
”
Palestinian leadership
, all factions, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Hamas, called on the population to denounce “
these agreements of shame
”, this “
stab in the back
”.
Indeed, the leaders are very angry.
Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the PLO also spoke on Sunday, specifying that it was not a question of a peace agreement, but of a “
protection
” agreement, adding that “
certain decision-makers
[in other words, the leaders of the Gulf countries, NDLA]
believe that the national security of the Arabs must depend on protection by Israel, but that the doctrine of the United States is to think that Israel must be stronger than all the Arab countries
”.
Saeb Erakat thus pinpoints a rapprochement not in the name of peace, but to unite against Iran, "
their common enemy
".
Little movement in the streets
However, there has been little movement in the streets since the announcement.
But, answer most Palestinians when asked, "
this is not the first time, it is not a surprise
".
“
And it's out of our control.
We are not even asked for our opinion.
So what can we do?
Going to the streets won't change anything,
”insists Samer, 23, a Palestinian from Jenin.
►Also read: Israel-Bahrain Agreement: the Arab street is no longer mobilizing for the Palestinian cause
Everyone actually feels betrayed.
Most stress that they were aware of the Gulf countries' relations with Israel - particularly in the area of intelligence - and that it is now an official relationship.
For Salem, 31, a Ramallah resident, Bahrain had at least the sincerity not to say it was a gesture for the Palestinians, unlike the United Arab Emirates which used the suspension of annexation as one of the arguments.
“
I don't know if it's better, or if it's worse,
” he added.
Isolated Palestinians
Once again, the Palestinians seem isolated, trapped and let loose, in a way, by the Arab countries.
In view of recent diplomatic developments, it is clear that their fate no longer worries the Arab leaders.
If since 2002 the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the end of the occupation were
sine qua non
conditions
for the normalization of relations with Israel, this time there is a paradigm shift, a shift in priority.
Israel's
agreements
with the United Arab Emirates
and
Bahrain
shatter the Arab League consensus.
What moreover was verified last week: Ramallah did not succeed in convincing the organization to make a clear condemnation, too many States refused it.
The Palestinians said this Monday: they want to reconsider their relations with the Arab League.
She is a "
symbol of inaction
" for Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.
According to Ahmad Majdalani, member of the PLO's executive committee, "
we have now reached the stage of alliance with the American-Israeli project to eliminate the Palestinian question
".
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Palestinian territories
Israel
United Arab Emirates
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