Daily Times

The US president recently said that the resolution of the conflict between Israel and Palestine would be a deal of the century. Trump insisted that under this deal of the century, Israel would expand its territory by including West Bank and would also be given the control of Golan Heights, East Jerusalem, whereas the contours of Palestine would be negotiated through a dialogue between the Israeli and Palestinian leadership. It was also mentioned by the US president that those Palestinians, who had left and migrated to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan after the wars fought in 1948 and 1967, would be allowed to return to the Palestinian territory.

Trump announced this plan unilaterally without consulting the Palestine leadership. The announcement of this plan by Trump’s administration is very relevant in the wake of the presidential election campaign. On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is facing allegations of corrupt practices. This announcement of the deal of the century has been a source of consolation for Israeli Prime Minister’s popularity ratings, which were fast deteriorating.

The Muslim world is divided due to the tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. So, Middle Eastern countries dependent on the US aid, inclining towards Saudi Arabia and fearing Iran’s proxy war influence, are cautiously examining the whole scenario. Such countries that perceive Iran as a looming danger in the entire region, are receptive towards recognising Israel’s existence, which would act as a balancing power.

The announcement of the deal of the century has been a source of consolation for Israeli Prime Minister’s popularity ratings

This deal of the century has been brought at this juncture by Trump to consolidate his position amongst the neo-cons, which would give him a competitive edge over his opponents in the next presidential election. As far as the Israel-Palestine conflict is concerned, Jerusalem is considered to be a sacred place by both Jews and Muslims. In 1948, Israel and Arab countries fought against each other as a result of which Israel exerted its control over West Jerusalem whereas Jordan reigned over East Jerusalem. In the 1967 War between the Arab world and Israel, the areas of West Bank, Golan Heights and, last but not least, East Jerusalem were all annexed by Israel. Although the UN Security Council passed a resolution that Israel had illegally annexed these territories, which should be reverted to the pre-1967 position, Israel never heeded any attention to the international law. As per the law, in international relations, it is the realist perspective, which has attained dominance. The power politics and self-interest of the nations have starkly been the fallout for the failure of sanction of international law.

Before the advent of the First World War, the entire Palestine state was under the control of the Ottoman empire. After the end of the war, the Ottoman Empire got disintegrated and Palestine was given under the control of Britain.

The British Government, through the Balfour Declaration in 1917, indicated that Jews would be given Palestine territory to establish a new independent state.

At that time, it was rejected by the entire Palestinian leadership. Today, at this juncture, the current leadership is also referring to Trump’s deal of the century to the likes of the same Balfour declaration.

There is also a perception in the Arab world that had the Palestinian leadership agreed to the 1948 formula of the division of Palestine, it would not have resulted in three wars, which had led to the annexation of West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights by Israel.

Wars fought against Israel have weakened the entire Arab world and made it dependent on the US and Israel. Eventually, at present, the Arab world’s support for Palestine cause has deteriorated. For instance, Libya, Iraq, Syria and Egypt once supported the Palestine cause but now these countries have been devastated by civil wars, internal strife, chaos and disorder after the Arab spring revolution.

The question arises that how did the Arab world become so weak despite being endowed with natural resources of oil and gas? Why was it unable to fully exploit these resources to become a reckoning power? On the other hand, Israel, a small country, has been able to become a regional power with the alliance of the US, EU and other growing economies.

The answer lies in the fact that due to robust political institutions, strong defence and economic strength, Israel has managed to become a regional power in Middle Eastern politics. Secondly, the Arab world has remained divided throughout; may it be the civil war that transpired in Yemen in the 1960s or the recent onslaught of Houthi rebels against Yemen’s government.

In the 1970s, Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and the Jordanian government drew daggers against each other. In 1975, Lebanon was afflicted with civil war. In the 1980s, the Iran-Iraq War upped the ante and the entire Muslim world was divided. This strengthened Israel’s leadership; enabling it to gain grasp through its nefarious designs of annexing Palestine territory.

The Arab world is not only afflicted with famine, internal strife and civil wars, its poor education system has also not enabled it to make huge economic strides. Meanwhile, the technological advancement in Israel has not only made its defence superior but also become an exporter of advanced weapons.

It is also due to the fact that for a considerable period, socialism took its toll on Egypt, Syria and South Yemen.

The recent volatile situation of the Arab world, in the aftermath of the spring revolution, has also caused a deep and catastrophic impact on the lives of Arabs and the entire region.

At present, the ongoing civil wars in Yemen and Syria, as well as the recent chaos and protests witnessed in Beirut, have sent shivers down the spine. It is a worrisome situation for the entire Muslim world. These circumstances have strengthened the entire Zionist ideology and Israel’s dominant influence in the entire Middle Eastern region; leaving the entire Palestinian cause weak and bereft of any vigour

The writer is a human rights activist, lawyer and teacher. He can be contacted at sheraz.zaka@gmail.com