In the wake of the open statements of some heads of Arab regimes at the “Jeddah Summit” and having affirmed their position on the rightful Palestinian cause in their political media discourse, followed by statements of very few Palestinian officials (from within President Mahmoud Abbas’ entourage, who expressed their gratitude)… after all such positions, one cannot but admit that gratitude is indeed a beautiful act and appreciation from the bottom of one’s heart is an esteemed duty. However, for these statements not to become material for media consumption only, this discourse must be transformed from mere statements, communiques, and speeches into a comprehensive performance that holds therein decisive conditions imposed on America and Joe Biden himself.
Alongside the required metamorphosis, a timetable for actual implementation must be provided; that is, doing the people of Palestine justice right here, right now, by setting an accurate date and threatening that if the aforementioned is not done, there will be no dealings whatsoever. Only by imposing such a principle can we get an indication that these regimes actually respect their peoples who stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and that that they are really watching over the Arab interests and the Islamic and Christian sanctities.
And only then will the Palestinian people see that these officials, through their speeches, are not talking “business” or writing “essays” and are sincerely seeking to end their suffering under the occupation that has kept the noose tightened around their necks for nearly 75 years.
We do not mean here that their speeches are not welcome, but the truth is that unless they turn words into action, all their statements will remain mere ink on paper with a “sedative effect” and will not yield any solution to the Palestinian tragedy. In the meantime, the deals between some Arab regimes and the apartheid Israeli occupation are in effect and implemented as required, although they mainly serve the interest of the occupation.
This leads to a feeling of constant humiliation and frustration and to a strict stance, which slams any existing normalization with the Zionist entity as treason. As a result, the number of Arabs who believe in the approach of resistance keeps soaring.
Proceeding from the aforementioned causality and the realistic approach per se, one must recall that life is an ongoing interaction between the geo-economic component and the power of natural resources (oil, gas, and anything extracted from the earth, in addition to the investments of sovereign funds), on the one hand, and the geopolitical component, on the other. This cross-fertilization creates a number of opportunities that bring forth a seasoned person or a certain regime in a specific geographical spot, which knows very well which side the bread is buttered on. This gives the produced entity the opportunity to adopt creative conviction-based positions that it can adopt and use in the service of causes it believes in, such as the Palestinian cause.
In other words, we say that we do not see the benefit of the “puritanical doctrine” (dogmatism or the attitudes stemming from intellectual rigidity in handling developments) that some adopt. Accordingly, we believe that the human being – the ruler (or the system) and whoever is acquainted with the course of events, in a knowledge-based-professional way – can follow up on the transformations that take place in our world when they occur and notice all the inputs of its components and the influence of its outputs.
The operation of ensuring Russian security in Ukraine, the NATO war on Russia, and the energy resources battle between Russia and China (and the BRICS countries), on the one hand, and NATO on the other, which changed the balances of alliances and the parties’ calculations, including the tour of the US President Joe Biden, who kneeled to Mohammed bin Salman, despite having adopted a position that he claimed was compatible with his “human rights” beliefs, but it later turned out that he was willing to barter these false claims for America’s economic interest… all this makes it clear that this provided Mohammed bin Salman (and perhaps Saudi Arabia and all GCC countries, renowned for being rich in natural wealth and sovereign funds) with a wide maneuvering ability before America and NATO (which rarely occurs in international relations) with an unprecedented influence and status.
This has even gone to the extent that these Gulf states (Mohammed bin Salman in the first place) can use this rare influence in the course of imposing a solution to the Palestinian cause. If (Bin Salman) ever decides to adopt such a position, he will undergo metamorphosis, by turning from an isolated personality, at the beginning of his appointment and assuming power, to a personality admired by the Arab and Islamic worlds and the free people of the world, despite all what had happened in the last five years.
This would bring together the prevalent situation and mood among the Palestinian people. As such, based on knowledge (acquired from multiple personal conversations), as well as anthropological observation and reading based on statistics and continuous monitoring of the situation, not a single person from within the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, not even any of those closest to President Mahmoud Abbas, or even he himself, can come out to say that Biden’s visit offered anything whatsoever to Palestine in the course of its struggle to end the occupation, (and for those who believe in a solution) to establish the Palestinian state according to the borders of June 4, 1967.
Rather, the visit was meant to serve Joe Biden’s goals in the energy struggle of his country in the first place, secondly, to serve him in the midterm elections for Congress, and thirdly, to serve the Israeli occupation. This constituted an attempt whereby he wanted to show both the international and local public opinion that he indeed visited occupied Beit Lahm and East Jerusalem, and although the visit was for three hours only, he aimed at tricking the Gulf regimes into believing that he is “committed to finding a solution;” a solution that nobody knows if he will be behind it and when, if any.
What can be concluded here is that by dealing [with others] on the basis of setting conditions, and only within the framework of a specific timetable, it becomes clear that the level of subordination and submission of these regimes to Washington is on the decline and that the balance of power in the international equation in control of the Palestinian cause, specifically when the Arab elites (oil and financial) come to Palestine’s rescue, has shifted. Could this happen? Indeed, where there is a will, there is a way. Only then will gratitude be abundant. We are waiting. But not for long!
*The writer a Palestinian-British academician specializing in International Relations and Political Communication. He is the Director of the European Centre for the study of Extremism in Cambridge, UK.
July 25, 2022
The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of Aequitas Review.
