The Palestinians are enraged that the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are attempting to block their resolution, to be voted on at the upcoming Arab League meeting, that condemns the UAE’s “normalization” of relations with Israel. The story is here.
The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and other Gulf states are trying to foil a Palestinian draft resolution that aims to prevent normalization between Israel and the Arab countries, Palestinian officials said Sunday.
Why should the UAE have its most important policies decided by the Palestinians? That is the question the Emiratis had been asking themselves, before they took the plunge and decided to normalize relations with Israel. If the Emiratis can greatly benefit, as they believe, from closer – “normal” — relations with Israel, who is Mahmoud Abbas or Ismail Haniyeh to say them nay?
The draft resolution has been presented to the Arab League, whose foreign ministers are expected to hold a video conference on September 9 to discuss the latest developments concerning the Palestinian issue.
On Monday, Arab envoys to the Arab League will hold a meeting in preparation for Wednesday’s virtual conference.
The Palestinian draft resolution calls on all Arab states to adhere to the Arab Peace Initiative and United Nations resolutions pertaining to the Israeli-Arab conflict.
Adopted in 2002, the Arab Peace Initiative calls for normalizing relations between the Arab world and Israel in exchange for a full withdrawal by Israel to the pre-1967 armistice lines, a “just settlement” of the Palestinian refugee issue based on UN Resolution 194 and the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
In 2002, the Arab Peace Initiative committed the Arab states to normalizing relations with Israel only after the Jewish state had been squeezed back within the 1949 armistice lines. But that was then, and this is now. Nearly twenty years have gone by. And the UAE has other, more important interests to consider, that weren’t of such significance in 2002. The UAE wants to strengthen its security ties to Israel, which is the Sunni Arabs’ most important and steadfast ally against an aggressive Iran, that is far more of a threat now than it was in 2002. The UAE would like to benefit economically, too, from normalizing relations with Israel, a country which, the Emirati bloggers on social media keep pointing out, has never been at war with the Emirates, nor ever threatened the Emirates.
Israel today has become an economic powerhouse, as it was not yet in 2002, and now has much to offer the UAE. Abu Dhabi has money to invest; Israel has start-ups that would welcome that investment. The UAE can increase its involvement with Israel through trade, tourism and, above all, technology, where Israel’s amazing achievements have earned it the title of Start-Up Nation. The Emirates can only benefit from Israeli advances in computer software, cybersecurity, solar energy, waste water management, medical equipment, medicines, and a dozen other fields, including defense, where Israel can supply the UAE with laser anti-missile devices, advanced drones, the Iron Dome batteries, and much, much more. Why, given all that, should the UAE not go its own way, make decisions strictly on the basis of furthering its national interest, instead of remaining stuck to the tar baby of an Arab agreement from 2002, reached years before Iran became such a menace to the Sunni Arabs of the Gulf, and before Israel pulled so dramatically ahead in so many fields?
The Palestinian Authority has accused the UAE of violating the terms of the Arab Peace Initiative by agreeing to normalize relations with Israel in exchange for nothing.
The UAE “agreeing to normalize relations In exchange for nothing”? The UAE managed to achieve something for the ungrateful Palestinians that they apparently have forgotten: a commitment by Israel to “suspend” the extension of its sovereignty to parts of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley and the five major settlement blocs. Considering how the Palestinians have since been cursing the Emirates up hill and down dale, some Emiratis must no doubt be thinking that they ought not to have bothered.
Immediately after the announcement of the Israel-UAE deal, the PA called for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers to discuss the “dangers” of the normalization agreement and to stop other Arab countries from establishing relations with Israel. The PA has repeatedly accused the UAE of “stabbing the Palestinians in the back” and “betraying al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem and the Palestinian issue.”
The Arab League, however, did not comply with the PA demand and said the foreign ministers will hold their regular meeting on September 9.
According to some reports, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit was behind the decision not to hold an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers due to current differences in the Arab world regarding the issue of normalization with Israel.
What a drama queen the PA turns out to be. The UAE is “stabbing the Palestinians in the back”? But the Emirates have been the only Arab state to actually achieve something of value – that Israeli agreement to suspend its extension of sovereignty in the West Bank – for the Palestinians.
The PA hopes the foreign ministers will endorse the Palestinian draft resolution and reiterate the Arab world’s unwavering support for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 lines.
Arab League resolutions, if not passed unanimously, are binding only on the states that voted for them. If the UAE does not vote for the Palestinian resolution, it will not be bound by it. And it looks as if Bahrain certainly, and Egypt very likely, will either abstain or vote no on such a resolution, and possibly be joined by Oman and Morocco. That “unwavering support” looks pretty wavering to me.
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are trying to obstruct our draft resolution,” a senior PA official told The Jerusalem Post. “The two countries are opposed to any resolution that opposes normalization with Israel.”
Bassam Salhi, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, called on the Arab countries to abide by the terms of the Arab Peace Initiative. Those who oppose the draft resolution are “stabbing the Palestinians in the back,” he said.
Hussein Hamayel, a senior member of the ruling Fatah faction, said Bahrain’s opposition to the draft resolution “places it on the side of the enemies of the Arabs and Muslims.”
How self-regarding and o’erweening these Palestinians are: those Arabs who refuse to submit to their dictates thereby become, in their arrogant view, not just their enemies but “the enemies of [all] the Arabs and Muslims.”
Some Gulf states have been exerting pressure on the Arab countries to avoid adopting any resolution that condemns the UAE for its deal with Israel, another PA official said.
These Gulf states include not only the UAE, but also Bahrain, Oman, and perhaps even Saudi Arabia, which has remained silent on the UAE’s “normalization,” but – significantly — has approved the use of Saudi air space by Israeli planes flying to and from the UAE. Egypt, too, has expressed its approval of the UAE’s normalization of ties to Israel. Given that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are the three most important Arab countries, the Palestinians are likely to be badly bruised – albeit “virtually” — at this Arab League meeting.
“Under the current circumstances, I doubt if the foreign ministers would be able to agree on a joint statement regarding the Palestinian issue,” the official told the Post.
This P.A. official is at least a realist, unlike Mahmoud Abbas. He knows that it’s not only the UAE, but several other Arab countries that have moved beyond the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative and, exasperated with the refusal of the Palestinians to negotiate, have decided to ignore them, and following the UAE’s example, may even make their own “normalization” agreements with Israel.
The PA also wants the Arab foreign ministers to discuss financial aid to the Palestinians, he said, adding: “The Arab countries haven’t fulfilled their financial obligations to the Palestinians since the beginning of this year.”
“The Arab countries haven’t fulfilled their financial obligations to the Palestinians”? This is the kind of assumption by the Palestinians — that the Arab world owes them a living – that infuriates the other Arabs. The Arab states may, if they so wish, contribute to the care and feeding of the Palestinians in order to stave off chaos in Gaza and PA territories, but they are not pleased about discovering just how much of their aid has been pocketed by the corrupt and cruel Palestinian leaders who are indifferent to the well-being of those whom they pretend to care about. What were those two Hamas leaders, Khaled Meshaal and Moussa Abu Marzouk, thinking about during those years when they each managed to accumulate at least $2.5 billion during their years of rule in impoverished Gaza? What was going through Mahmoud Abbas’s mind when he amassed a fortune of $400 million, much of it, as soon as it arrived at his office, being immediately deposited in accounts in the names of Abbas’s grandsons? And here they are, these shameless Palestinian thieves — cronies of Abbas and the other bigshots — daring to complain about the Arab states’ “financial obligations” to them.
The Arab League meeting in mid-September will provide the Palestinians with a salutary shock. Their leaders will learn that they are no longer the center of the Arab universe; that they are not “owed” anything by the Arab states, including those supposed “financial obligations”; that the UAE is not about to change its mind, but rather, its businessmen have been signing deals with Israeli businesses, hastening the process of “normalization”; worst of all, there are several other Arab states that openly or silently approve of the UAE’s move and are even now considering when, and how, they should go and do likewise.
Yipping and yapping, yet again the PA and Hamas dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
CogitoErgoSum says
Do not give them back one inch of your land, Israel. Yes, it is YOUR land, not theirs. Their end goal is written in their scriptures and they want ALL of your land and your people either dead or in slavery. They will fight you until Judgment Day to make that happen. Do not be deceived by the smiles on their faces because in their hearts they hate you. Palestinians, Saudis, Egyptians, Jordanians, Iranians …. whatever they call themselves, if they follow Islam they will use you and when they no longer need you will turn on you and try to destroy you.
Ismail Ali says
A stolen land by the conspiracy of the west ..they should be ready to leave the land ,either by hook or crook ,the land will be reclaimed by the original owners .
Wellington says
How about the largest conspiracy (and con-job) of all time, Ismail Ali? You know, the one that started in the seventh century and which engaged in one of the largest land grabs of all time.
I trust you get my meaning.
mortimer says
Islam began as a big con job to steal the property of the Persians and Romans for the emolument of the Arab warlords of the 7th century.
The claim of the Koran (i.e. to ‘confirm’ the Old and New Testaments) is completely denied by the contents of the Koran itself.
The Koran is of human origin. It was concocted to convince Arabs that God had given them a mission to steal everything on earth and share the booty among the Arabs.
The Koran is the only sacred text that has a chapter named ‘BOOTY’.
Think about the BOOTY … AL-ANFAL … Surah 8.
Are you listening, Ismail Ali?
FYI says
@ismail ali
This is funny…because you see..
allah disagrees with you in the koran.
koran 5:20-26 ..Israel belongs to the Jews
Israel,according to your koran,is the rightful land of the Jews;they have every right to be there.
Israel is their ancestral homeland.How can it be a ‘stolen land’ when allah CONFIRMS that the Jews are entitled to be there?
According to ‘allah’ and the koran…the Jews are entitled to be in Israel.
FYI says
“And remember when Moses said unto his people:oh my people!Remember allah’s favor unto you,how he hath placed among you prophets and he made you kings and gave you that which he gave not to any other of his creatures”
“oh my people!Go into the Holy Land which allah hath ordained for you”
koran 5:20-21
“The Holy Land that allah hath ordained for you”?
ISRAEL.
For whom?
The People of Moses:’his people’?That would be the Jews..and Israel,according to allah, is their ancestral homeland.
Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY) says
Thank you, FYI, for the information that Koran 5:20-26 says that Israel belongs to the Jews. I wanted to verify this by reading
https://quran.com/5/20-26
, but the prose is so crappy that it is hard to derive a meaning from it. For example, in 5:24 — They said, “O Moses, indeed we will not enter it, ever, as long as they are within it; so go, you and your Lord, and fight. Indeed, we are remaining right here.” — it is not easy to figure out what all the pronouns — they, we, it, they, you — refer to.
James Lincoln says
Ismail Ali,
I would highly recommend not messing with the Israelis.
The IDF is well-funded, well-equipped, well-trained, and they have had a lot of practice defending themselves against their pesky neighbors.
Better to stay on their good side…
owensgate says
Sorry, the “Original Owners”, Canaanites, et. al, are long dead buried and forgotten. They were NOT “Palestinian”, and were NOT Islamic. They were evicted by the One Creator God of the Universe, the Judeo-Christian God, who gave the Land to Abraham and his descendants with an unbreakable covenant. It is FOREVER, and Ishmael has no part in it. Fugedaboudit. It’s not yours.
gravenimage says
The Levant has been the homeland of the over 3000 years–long before the ravening Muslims invaded.
But Muslims believe that any and they invaded is theirs forever. That is why they are always threatening Spain and Greece–other nations that were able to regain their freedom.
mortimer says
Allah ‘assigned’ the Holy Land to the Jews in the Koran and Allah also commanded Jews to ‘dwell in the Land’.
Ismail Ali doesn’t know the Koran.
gravenimage says
Doesn’t Ismail Ali realize what “by hook or by crook” means? This is not actually something a legitimate owner would say.
James Lincoln says
Exactly, gravenimage.
In other words, by any means necessary.
A legitimate owner would use a legal process…
gravenimage says
+1
infidel says
Of course we Khafirs KNOW that everything that LEGITIMATELY belongs to the Khafir is stolen according to Ur terror manual…. So what U say is NOTHING NEW.. U steal from others regularly but then according to U, U are only only stealing what was stolen. Self righteous crap that U spew all the time. Tell me why U Muslims advise others all the time of the same things that U do not follow.?
MykeJohn says
Fair enough, since when did the Palestinians own that piece of land and what is the name of their last ancient king and their capital? With the name of that king, we can delve deep into history and ascertain the fact for the Palestinians. Else the notion that Mohammedans when in majority tend to twist the course of history to suit their narrative as master of every realm and clime is true. Unlike that book which tried to change the history that Mariam, Moses’ sister was a princess in the court of the Mizraimites. When tones of research made Miriam before the great exodus a commoner of the Hebrew stock. therefore a slave at that time. No dark cave is required for this expedition Ismail Ali. When people are deluded and lost in time and space all things fit a certain lie.
golem2 says
Jews are the original owners. Arabs have stolen 22 States
golem2 says
Ignorant and proud of it
jule says
What is worse is EU has told countries involved with it that they cannot move their embassies to Jerusalem. I am glad Authoritarian EU is on the way out.
CogitoErgoSum says
If they were smart they would kick all Muslims off their land … or make them pay them pay an extra high tax for the privilege of staying.
gravenimage says
CogitoErgoSum, civilized people do not impose Jizya–this is what Muslims do.
CogitoErgoSum says
I say give them a taste of their own medicine. Let them be judged as they judge others.
gravenimage says
CogitoErgoSum–with all respect–we do not have to become savages in order to defeat savages.
Wellington says
Just look at the photo above of Muzzies aplenty in this meeting. There is electric lighting, most likely air conditioning, those at at this conference arrived overwhelmingly by cars, trains or planes. Refrigeration of food is surely close by. Teleconferencing being done via phones, computers, etc. All of which technology, and much more, was invented by the West.
Which brings me to a hypothetical: Imagine if Islam, from its inception onward, had made all the world into the dar al-Islam (and especially Europe, which Islam came close to doing minus the battles of Constantinople in 717 and Tours in 732). Think we’d have trains, planes and automobiles? Refrigeration? Air conditioning?
Computers? Radio? Television? Satellites? Et al.? And hey, how about freedom in general, women’s rights and the capacity to apologize for past wrongdoings such as slavery and which Islam still to this day has not apologized for, contra the West?
Islam, as Winston Churchill correctly opined, is the greatest retrograde force in the world. It is also the greatest parasite of all time. Damn ungrateful too.
Sick of Islam. So sick of this creed. Why isn’t anyone but complete fools sick of Islam by now? Islam deserves no more respect than Nazism (master faith v. master race) and at least Nazism contributed somewhat to scientific and technological innovations, though for a cause as evil as Islam.
Islam hasn’t on its own even managed what Hitler’s warped creed did. Pretty damn awful when your belief system is actually worse than Nazism, but Islam has somehow “managed” this.
Nazism was short-lived. What a damn shame for mankind that Islam wasn’t as well. And I say to all Muslims, shame on you, deep shame, for adhering to the belief system that you do. There is no excuse for this. None.
craig says
Well said. I can’t agree with this enough.
owensgate says
You nailed it. A better Five Star précis of islam would be hard to find.
gravenimage says
So true, Wellington.
mortimer says
Wellington echoes the words of a French intellectual who in 1923 observed the LACK of ACCOMPLISHMENT wherever Islam extinguishes the light of the HUMAN MIND!
“Islam was not a torch, as has been claimed, but an extinguisher. Conceived in a barbarous brain for the use of a barbarous people, it was – and it remains – incapable of adapting itself to civilization. Wherever it has dominated, it has broken the impulse towards progress and checked the evolution of society.” – Andre Servier, in L’islam et la psychologie du musulman (1923)
Islam impedes progress and discovery.
James Lincoln says
Perfectly stated, Wellington.
Bravo Zulu as they say in the Navy!
Westman says
Great synopsis, Wellington.
gravenimage says
Palestinians Complain That Some Arab States Are Not Following Their Orders
…………….
Just hilarious.
mortimer says
The Pallies are counting on a form of Muslim solidarity which is perhaps becoming a thing of the past as Muslims worldwide experience doubts on the truth of Islam.
Why fight costly, ceaseless jihad, if the foundational story of Islam has so many HOLES IN THE NARRATIVE?