The more the two-state solution is mentioned as a road map to peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis, the more you receive the impression of a fairy tale. Why? Because without a firm stance from the major powers that be in this world (the United States (US) and the nations of Europe) on the continued expansion of Israeli settlements and the instigation first of violence and then of genocide (against the Palestinians by the Israelis mostly), the proposed roadmap feels like a work of fiction that has no real enforcement.
The war in Gaza and the collateral damage of the wars in Iran and Lebanon have shown Middle Eastern and European governments that ignoring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will only cause it to blow up in ways that are harmful to their interests and disrupt their domestic politics. They, too, must take a more active role in helping build a Palestinian state. Some international partners, most notably the EU and Saudi Arabia, have invested in the PA and pushed for reforms in transparency, fiscal management, and service delivery over the last two years. The United States should support these efforts by offering conditional financial assistance and technical expertise. But a stronger PA in the West Bank alone cannot produce a viable Palestinian state, much less durable regional stability. A successful state-building strategy must ultimately reunify Gaza and the West Bank under legitimate Palestinian governance.
Trump’s 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza, which Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey helped negotiate, offers a useful road map for a Palestinian state, including by explicitly naming governance of Gaza by a reformed PA as an end goal. But after its initial success in ending the war, the plan has stalled.
The repercussions of the west – in particular the United States – in maintaining its support for the Israeli state and right-wing governing coalition of Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has been the source of much of the bloodshed being maintained across the region of the middle east. The idea of reuniting Gaza with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority is a minor step in the right direction, but it will not be tangible as long as the western world promotes unconditional loyalty and support for Israel, through military and economic aid. For Washington, London, Paris and Berlin to take a harsher stance against the Israelis, it is up to ordinary citizens at the grassroots to take a stand against their governments and corporations’ unequivocal loyalty to the regime and movement of Zionism. Only when the financial support and other incentives dry up will the Israelis take seriously the idea of a two-state solution.
In regard to the Gaza situation, the Hamas militant group has offered to relinquish its administration of civilian and governance institutions in the coastal strip, to pursue its goals as an armed resistant group. Tel Aviv is not in agreement with the proposal. The Israelis have stated they want Hamas to fully disarm.
While Hamas says it is stepping away from running ministries, it has not committed to disarming, nor has it agreed to dissolve its military wing. Reuters reported that Hamas intends to continue overseeing security and policing in areas that remain under its control following the ceasefire. Israeli officials argue that means the group would still wield decisive influence even if another body formally runs civilian affairs.
The Israelis may be right to argue for the disarmament of Hamas, but this a matter that works both ways, in regard to Gaza. Israeli Defence Force (IDF) units have to withdraw from Gaza. In turn Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces should take their place. Also, it must be made clear that PA President Mahmoud Abbas (now the age of ninety) should step aside in favour of a new much younger leader who can take the reins of the PA, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)/Fatah political wing. All these recommendations sound like wishful thinking, but after seventy-eight years of this conflict (since 1948), should the world not take a sterner approach to the problem?
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
