Palestine And the Peace Settlement?

By Dr Abd El-Moneim Saeed, Tr. New Age Islam Translated from Arabic by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam The article discusses the Gaza crisis, a contentious issue in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinians. It highlights the need for a strong Arab stance to resolve the issue, ensuring only one Palestinian national authority can legitimately represent the Palestinian people. The article suggests reforms for the Israeli government, including removing radical right-wing parties, promoting international aid, a two-state solution, maintaining institutional resilience, and maintaining a demographic balance between Israelis and Palestinians. Main Points -------- · Israel is launching its largest-ever siege operation against Gaza, aiming to eliminate the Hamas movement, causing tension in the current situation. · The Nakba scenes were repeated in Gaza and the West Bank, prompting questions about improving conditions and preventing war from escalating into a regional conflict. · The Palestinian crisis requires a strong Arab stance to ensure only one Palestinian national authority can legitimately represent the Palestinians and "privatize" the national decision-making process regarding war and peace. · The United States and Western powers are key in resolving the crisis. ----------- I am writing this article from Riyadh, where I arrived before the emergency Arab summit at the gracious invitation of the Saudi Ministry of Information and the Al-Arabiya News Channel. I was brought in to discuss the Gaza crisis and how it affects the Palestinian cause. There have never been more turbulent times than these we are living in, as Israel is carrying out its largest-ever siege operation against the entire Gaza population, with the primary objective being the elimination of the Hamas movement, which has dealt Israel, its soldiers, and civilians the greatest blows in the recent history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, resulting in 1,400 casualties and 240 prisoners. The issue that has dominated discussions of the Fifth Gaza War originated with the Israeli ground invasion of the Strip, which followed an air invasion that drove over a million people from northern Gaza to its southern region, killing over 10,000 and injuring many more, as well as damaging thousands of buildings and other infrastructure, including medical facilities. Nevertheless, settlers in the West Bank seized the chance to kill close to 500 Palestinians and drive them out of thirteen West Bank villages. The scenes of the Nakba were practically repeated in both Gaza and the West Bank. Secondly, whether it is possible to improve conditions by allowing moments of calm to carry out relief and humanitarian support work. Equally crucial is preventing the war from evolving into a comprehensive regional war involving armed groups that are sufficiently hostile to wage a protracted war. Thirdly, consider the much-discussed “next day” that follows the ceasefire and the release of the prisoners. Additionally, consider how the Gaza Strip can be administered under the presumption that “Hamas” will become unfit to exercise authority over the Strip. The three dimensions of the Palestinian issue emerged starting with the Arab Summit session, which assembled foreign ministers, ministers dealing with information and warfare, and others for consultation between Arab parties—each based on their disagreements with the perennial Palestinian issue among Arabs—as well as between these parties, the United States, and the various Western powers in Europe. Nevertheless, it is clear that Washington was the flagbearer of the West in this crisis, which US President Joe Biden addressed, as well as the pillars of his administration, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Defence, National Security, and the Central Intelligence Agency. The Arab summit process began amid the cacophony of diplomatic and political demands and was followed by an Arab-Islamic summit. There is little question that the Palestinian cause will garner substantial backing, both material and moral, at the level of these two summits. More challenging is figuring out a way to end the conflict and crisis in a way that stops additional conflicts and crises from starting. Here, a number of factors must be met in order for the problem to be resolved; otherwise, the harmful liquidity scenario that currently exists will persist and become more combustible. The first requirement is that there must be an immediate and strong Arab stance that, so long as the Arabs are obliged to support their brothers in Palestine, only one Palestinian national authority can legitimately represent the Palestinian people, and that authority alone can "privatise" the national decision-making process regarding matters of war and peace. However, in order to establish a condition of demographic balance between Palestinians and Israelis, the Israeli government must be changed to remove the right-wing parties, some of which have grown so extreme as to openly declare their intention to bring about another Nakba [a great tragedy] for the Palestinian people. Although it may appear unfeasible, the Israeli and Palestinian parties will view it as meddling in their domestic matters. However, this is the fundamental purpose of political and diplomatic efforts, as agreements can be made to move the matter in the direction of resolving the conflict and eventually arrive at a two-state solution that is supported by all significant international actors. Summit decisions might reflect a rejection of extremism on all sides, as the declaration of the nine countries following the peace conference in Cairo earlier stated. A complete settlement can also be accepted by highlighting the readiness to cope with institutional forces. Confirming that the world is no longer prepared to tolerate any forms of extremism that endanger both regional and global security can also be accomplished through working with international parties. The second prerequisite is that, regardless of what happens during the impending time of political and diplomatic disagreements, the significance of advancing the reform initiatives already underway in various Arab countries must be highlighted. The opportunity to witness the depth of the reform process that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is undergoing was provided by the attendance in the Kingdom. This was demonstrated not only by the enormous projects that are being carried out but also by the calibre of individuals and youth, particularly men and women. Before then, I had left Cairo, and not a single national project had been shelved in spite of the economic crisis. Attending the event in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia provided an opportunity to witness the depth of the reform process that is currently underway in the Kingdom. This was demonstrated not only by the enormous projects that are being carried out but also by the calibre of individuals and youth, particularly men and women. This is the situation in several Arab nations that ratified the Cairo Declaration, which forbade the slaughter of civilians and called for a two-state solution-based peaceful resolution. Presumably, it serves as the primary safeguard against radical elements, be they Israeli or Palestinian, and has the ability to establish elevated degrees of regional collaboration that offer substitutes for tacit collaboration among extremist factions inside the region. It is important to remember that the catastrophe that the Arab summits are dealing with was caused by a coalition of regional powers that started a war to block the way for development and rehabilitation. If previous Arab generations fell for the lofty words and ideas of extremist movements, losing decades of advancement and wealth in the process, then history will hold the current generations responsible if they miss this chance. … Arabic Article: فلسطين والتسوية السلمية؟ … Dr Abd El-Moneim Saeed is a prominent Egyptian academic, journalist, and author. He serves as a member of the Egyptian Senate, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Masry Al-Youm Journalism Foundation, and a member of the Egyptian Shura Council. Saeed has written for various Arab newspapers and has been an academic at Egyptian universities and institutes. He has also served as a visiting fellow at Brandeis University in the United States. ---- URL: https://newageislam.com/current-affairs/palestine-peace-settlement/d/131127 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism