US, Arabs ‘Rushing’ Plan to Establish Palestinian State

February 16, 2024

by: Joshua Marks ~ JNS

Friday, 16 February 2024 | The Biden administration is preparing to make a major push for Palestinian statehood if a Gaza ceasefire agreement being negotiated in Cairo this week takes effect.

According to the Washington Post, the US and its Arab partners are “rushing” to finalize the plan to establish a Palestinian state—a plan that could be announced in the next few weeks with hopes that a deal to release the remaining 134 hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza in exchange for a six-week pause in fighting takes effect before Ramadan [one of the Five Pillars of Islam when stringent disciplines are observed], which begins on March 10, give or take a day.

There is an urgency to reach an agreement because Jerusalem is readying for a major offensive in Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, Israel is working on an evacuation plan for the 1.5 million civilians sheltered in the city ahead of the battle.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday issued a statement saying that Jerusalem did not receive any new proposal from Hamas on releasing the hostages.

“This week we freed two of our hostages in a brilliant military operation. As of now, we have freed 112 of our hostages in a combination of strong military pressure and tough negotiations. This is also the key to freeing more of our hostages: Strong military pressure and very tough negotiations,” the prime minister said.

“Indeed, I insist that Hamas drop its delusional demands,” he continued.

In addition to the US, the participants planning the pathway to a Palestinian state are Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Palestinians. Notably, Israel is not involved in these discussions, according to the Post.

US officials told the Post that actions under consideration include a unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state by Washington at the start of the process.

Other issues reportedly being discussed by the US and Arab countries are the permanent evacuation of many Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria and a Palestinian capital in eastern Jerusalem. Also being discussed is the reconstruction of Gaza after the war and uniting Gaza and the Palestinian areas of Judea and Samaria under one form of governance and security mechanism.

The Americans and Arabs want to discuss their plans with European leaders during policy meetings at the 60th Munich Security Conference, which kicks off Friday.

There is widespread opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state in Israel, particularly after the October 7 massacre, which many see as a reward for the Hamas terrorist attack and an incentive to commit more atrocities.

A February survey found that more than half of the Israeli public opposes the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a deal that would end the war against Hamas and normalize relations between Jerusalem and Riyadh.

When Israelis were asked whether they support the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, 66% of Jewish respondents said they opposed such a move, while 27% expressed support for the creation of a “Palestine.”

This opposition to a Palestinian state extends to the Israeli leadership; Netanyahu has been a longtime vocal opponent of the idea.

“Everybody who talks about a two-state solution—well, I ask, what do you mean by that? Should the Palestinians have an army? Should they continue to educate their children for terrorism and annihilation? Of course, I say, of course not,” the premier told ABC News in an interview on Sunday.

“The most important power that has to remain in Israel’s hands is overriding security control in the area west of the Jordan [River],” he stressed.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday rejected the reported US–Arab plan to recognize a Palestinian state in the next few weeks.

“We will in no way agree to this plan, which actually says that the Palestinians deserve a reward for the terrible massacre they did to us: a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” tweeted Smotrich, the head of the Religious Zionism Party.

“The message is that it pays very well to massacre Israeli citizens,” he continued. “A Palestinian state is an existential threat to the State of Israel, as was proven on October 7!”

Meanwhile, tensions are boiling over between Netanyahu and Biden over Israel’s pending Rafah military offensive and the overall direction of the Gaza campaign, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

While Biden has made public statements criticizing Israel’s conduct in the war, including calling it “over the top,” his administration has no intention to slow down arms sales to the Jewish state, according to the Journal.

The two leaders held a “tense” phone call on Sunday over the looming Rafah invasion, and in late December Biden reportedly abruptly ended a call with Netanyahu, declaring the conversation “over” and hanging up. US and Israeli officials said that Biden was angry during the December 28 call and almost yelled during a restive exchange about civilian casualties and Washington wanting to shift the war to a more targeted phase.

Posted on February 16, 2024

Source: (Excerpt of an article originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on February 15, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Chuck Kennedy/US State Department/jns.org