Gulf States and the Palestinian Cause
Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt, August 20
The Gulf states were, and are, for the most part genuinely supportive of the Palestinian cause. For years, they provided the Palestinian leadership with generous financial support and diplomatic assistance. Indeed, the Palestinian issue is a core issue in the conscience of residents of the Arab Gulf. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s founding father, was well aware of this reality and chose to keep the Palestinian issue close to his heart. However, after his passing, many conditions changed in the region. The Arab Spring marked the collapse of several regimes and the rise of new ones, while Iran’s aggression in the region continued to spread and intensify. To make matters worse, the Palestinian people experienced an internal rift that led to their de facto separation into two states: one in the West Bank and another in the Gaza Strip. This gave room for Iran to expand its influence over Hamas in Gaza, much like it did with Hizbullah in Lebanon. So what should we make of the recent agreement between the UAE and Israel, brokered by the United States? Allow me to begin by saying that I’m not of the people who believes that talking to the Israelis and negotiating with them is a crime. In fact, the only way to deal with a conflict is to talk to your enemy. And history has taught us that harsh and painful negotiations are better than a bloody war. For years, we, in the Arab world, tried to pursue strategies of boycott against Israel. But they failed. Now, the UAE has opened the page for dealing with Israel through negotiations. I, for one, prefer a known devil better than the unknown angel. I’d rather see the relations and communications between the two countries be carried out openly than under the table. Therefore, the Israeli-Emirati agreement is a huge step for the Palestinian people. It will reshape the way in which the Arab world approaches the Palestinian cause and pave the way towards a new strategy that may be more beneficial than approaches we’ve tried before. I am sure that Gulf leaders, including in the UAE, have not relinquished their support for the Palestinian people. They are still defending their inalienable rights and protecting their interests from anyone who tries to undermine them. Arabism and Arab solidarity are indivisible. And defending the Palestinian cause through direct negotiations with Israel, in broad daylight, is a thousand times better than doing so secretly, behind closed doors. – Mustafa Elfeki (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)
