Al-Jazeera, Qatar, March 6
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Arab dictators have, since the dawn of time, relied on the Palestinian issue to deflect attention away from their own corrupt regimes. Many of them have succumbed to American and Israeli pressure by choosing to neglect their Palestinian brothers and sisters in exchange for financial support, military assistance or international prestige. The most recent example of this phenomenon is Arab leaders working to normalize ties with Tel Aviv, while designating legitimate Palestinian resistance factions as “terrorists.” The Arab stance on Palestine has changed considerably in the past few decades. At first, Arab states called for a fight against Israel in order to liberate Palestine. Later, Arab leaders sought to resolve the Palestinian issue through diplomacy and negotiations. In more recent years, with the rise of Islamist movements like Al-Qa’ida and the Islamic State, many Arab leaders attempted to distance themselves from radical Islam by adopting the American—and thus the Israeli—stance on the Palestinian issue. At that stage, countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt began designating Hamas as a “terrorist organization” and endorsing Israel’s actions against the Palestinians. Unfortunately, this is not only immoral but also dangerous. It not only delegitimizes a movement that resists the Israeli occupation, but also paves the way for the integration of Israel into the Arab world. It bolsters the American position that the problem in the Middle East is not Israel but rather radical Islam, and trivializes alarming developments on the ground such as the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. In an effort to win over the heart of the American administration, these countries have become advocates of President Trump’s foreign policy in the region, crushing the last remaining hope for Palestinian statehood. These leaders can talk of liberties and civil rights however much they want. The fact remains clear: namely, that they are willing to abandon their allies and forsake their allegiances as soon as new interests emerge. – Hasan Abu-Hanina