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By Ramzy Baroud
It appeared all however a accomplished deal: Israel is lastly managing to bend the Arabs to its will, and Palestine is turning into a marginal concern that not defines Israel’s relations with Arab international locations. Certainly, normalization with Israel is afoot, and the Arabs, so it appears, have been lastly tamed.
Not so quick. Many occasions proceed to show the other. Take, for instance, the Arab League two-day assembly in Cairo on July 31 – August 1. The assembly was largely dominated by discussions on Palestine and concluded with statements that referred to as on Arab international locations to reactivate the Arab boycott of Israel, till the latter abides by worldwide regulation.
The strongest language got here from the League’s Assistant Secretary-Normal who referred to as for solidarity with the Palestinian folks by boycotting firms that assist the Israeli occupation.
The 2-day Convention of the Liaison Officers of the Arab Regional Places of work on the Boycott of Israel praised the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) motion, which has been beneath intense western pressures for its unrelenting advocacy of worldwide motion in opposition to Israel.
One of many suggestions by Arab officers was to assist Arab boycott initiatives in accordance with the Tunis Arab Summit in March 2019, which resolved that “boycott of the Israeli occupation and its colonial regime is without doubt one of the efficient and bonafide means to withstand.”
Although one might rightly forged doubts on the importance of such statements by way of dissuading Israel from its ongoing colonization schemes in Palestine, at the very least, it demonstrates that by way of political discourse, the collective Arab place stays unchanged. This was additionally expressed clearly to US President Joe Biden throughout his newest go to to the Center East. Biden might have anticipated to go away the area with main Arab concession to Israel – which might be thought-about a big political victory for the pro-Israel members of his Democratic Get together previous to the defining November midterm elections – however he acquired none.
What American officers don’t perceive is that Palestine is a deeply rooted emotional, cultural and non secular concern for Arabs – and Muslims. Neither Biden, nor Donald Trump and Jared Kushner earlier than him, may simply – or presumably – alter that.
Certainly, anybody who’s acquainted with the historical past of the centrality of Palestine within the Arab discourse understands that Palestine just isn’t a mere political query that’s ruled by opportunism, and fast political or geopolitical pursuits. Trendy Arab historical past is a testomony to the truth that regardless of how nice US-Western-Israeli pressures and nevertheless weak or divided the Arabs are, Palestine will proceed to reign supreme as the reason for all Arabs. Political platitudes apart, the Palestinian battle for freedom stays a recurring theme in Arab poetry, artwork, sports activities, faith, and tradition in all its manifestations.
This isn’t an opinion, however a demonstrable truth.
The most recent Arab Middle Washington DC (ACW) public opinion ballot examined the views of 28,288 Arabs in 13 completely different international locations. Majority of the 350 million Arabs proceed to carry the identical view as earlier generations of Arabs did: Palestine is an Arab trigger and Israel is the principle risk.
The Arab Opinion Index (AOI) of late 2020 just isn’t the primary of its sort. In reality, it’s the seventh such research to be performed since 2011. The pattern stays secure. All of the US-Israeli plots – and bribes – to sideline Palestine and the Palestinians have failed and, regardless of purported diplomatic ‘successes’, they may proceed to fail.
In line with the ballot: Overwhelming majority of Arabs – 81 % – oppose US coverage in the direction of Palestine; 89 % and 81 % consider that Israel and the US respectively are “the biggest risk” to their particular person international locations’ nationwide safety. Significantly essential, majority of Arab respondents insist that the “Palestinian trigger considerations all Arabs and never merely the Palestinians.” This contains 89 % of Saudis and 88 % of Qataris.
Arabs might disagree on many points, they usually do. They may stand at reverse sides of regional and worldwide conflicts, they usually do. They may even go to warfare in opposition to each other and, sadly, they typically do. However Palestine stays the exception. Traditionally, it has been the Arabs’ most compelling case for unity. When governments overlook that, they usually typically do, the Arab streets continually remind them of why Palestine just isn’t on the market and isn’t a topic for self-serving compromises.
For Arabs, Palestine can also be a private and intimate topic. Quite a few Arab households have framed photographs of Arab martyrs who had been killed by Israel throughout earlier wars or had been killed preventing for Palestine. Because of this no quantity of normalization and even outright recognition of Israel by an Arab nation can wash away Israel’s sordid previous or menacing picture within the eyes of strange Arabs.
A most telling instance of that is how Egyptians and Jordanians answered the AOI query “Would you assist or oppose diplomatic recognition of Israel by your nation?” The fascinating factor about this query is that each Cairo and Amman already acknowledged Israel and have diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv since 1979 and 1994, respectively. Nonetheless, to today, 93 % of Jordanians and 85 % of Egyptians nonetheless oppose that recognition as if it by no means happened.
The argument that Arab public opinion carries no weight in non-democratic societies neglects the truth that each type of authorities is based on some type of legitimacy, if not by means of a direct vote, it’s by means of different means. Contemplating the diploma of involvement the reason for Palestine carries in each facet of Arab societies – on the road, within the mosque and church, in universities, sports activities, civil society organizations and way more – disowning Palestine could be a significant delegitimizing issue and a dangerous political transfer.
American politicians, who’re continually angling for fast political victories on behalf of Israel within the Center East don’t perceive, or just don’t care that marginalizing Palestine and incorporating Israel into the Arab physique politic just isn’t merely unethical, but additionally a significant destabilizing think about an already unstable area.
Traditionally, such makes an attempt have failed, and sometimes miserably so, as apartheid Israel stays as hated by those that normalized as a lot as it’s hated by those that haven’t. Nothing will ever change that, so long as Palestine stays an occupied nation.
– Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He’s the creator of six books. His newest ebook, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is “Our Imaginative and prescient for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Converse out”. Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Analysis Fellow on the Middle for Islam and World Affairs (CIGA). His web site is www.ramzybaroud.web
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