The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the world’s most intractable and enduring crises. In the face of nearly a century of bitter rivalry, the relationship between the two communities has steadily deteriorated and has often been marked by high levels of violence on both sides. Since the 1967 war–which led to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptian-run Gaza Strip, and Syria’s Golan Heights–the warring parties and the international community have undertaken numerous efforts to initiate dialogue and subsequently foster peace in the broader region. However, the absence of sensible and dedicated leadership, the parties’ uncompromising attitudes, and the dominating presence of the pro-Israeli United States in any mediation efforts has unfortunately led to the failure of such initiatives to overcome decades of distrust, destruction, and insecurity.
Since the Oslo peace process in 1993, successive US administrations have attempted to cajole the parties to a peace agreement. However, at every step of the way, any form of US engagement has sought to downplay the vast power disparity between the two sides and has progressively weakened the Palestinian negotiating position by moving away from the requirements of international law. The Trump administration has been shockingly unapologetic in showing its complete disregard for the concerns of Palestinian leaders and people. Since 2017, it has eliminated practically all financial assistance to Palestinians; ended US contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA); closed the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington, DC; moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, and supported legislation ending US assistance to Palestinian security forces. These actions have only reinforced the belief that the US does not care about seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict; rather it chases an unfair Israeli victory over a Palestinian defeat.
This is further evident from Trump’s much-awaited Middle East Peace Plan, which was released two weeks ago. While peace initiatives traditionally aim to launch talks, bridge gaps, and create trust between the parties to ultimately reach comprehensive accords, this plan systematically shatters opportunities for any of these things to happen. And yet, the Trump administration has labelled it as a roadmap for a “realistic two-state solution.”
The plan recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s “undivided” capital, and ensures that Israel remains in charge of controlling the borders, airspace, foreign policy and security of the Palestinian state, which would be “fully demilitarized.” The administration has previously stated its plans to invest $50-billion to support infrastructure, business and tourism to help bolster the Palestinian economy, as well as those of neighbouring Arab States. The proposal also allows Israel to declare sovereignty over certain areas of the occupied West Bank, including Israeli settlements and the Jordan Valley, which has provoked Palestinian outrage and serious concerns from the international community. Focusing on Israeli security, rather than Palestinian self-determination, the plan puts the onus on the latter to show their worthiness of statehood, using conditions that essentially demand their full surrender.
Palestinian authorities have outright rejected the plan and were not part of the negotiations at all, after having boycotted all diplomatic ties with the United States in 2017. The proposal has also been met with opposition from within the US government, and has irked Arab countries like Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and others along with the EU, which has voiced concerns about the US straying away from “internationally agreed parameters”. However, the US seems determined to make its mark on the peace process regardless of the actual outcome. Last week, it blocked Palestinian efforts to table a UN Security Council resolution rejecting the peace plan, saying that it breached basic undertakings to the Palestinian people. The plan to conduct a vote was shelved after the US threatened to veto the resolution if it was not rewritten.
Somehow, the administration seems to believe that backing Palestine into a corner will force its people to give up their long-standing demands and coerce them into making concessions to reach a peaceful settlement with Israel. However, if the United States continues down this path and ignores Israeli settlement expansion, and Palestinian concerns about Jerusalem and refugees, it may risk forever closing the door to an eventual two-state solution. Furthermore, the current US policy trajectory only restores the status quo and exacerbates conflict in the West Bank and Gaza, which threatens both Palestinians and Israelis.
Though Trump heralds the plan as a “fundamentally different” initiative from tried and tested approaches towards the Palestinians, critics note that rather than breaking tradition, it is essentially a recycled version of previous efforts along with new pieces designed to explicitly favour Israel. This not only makes the US an ineffective mediator but also a grave spoiler. In any case, it seems naïve to think that these changes will encourage Palestinians to take the deal that they had no say in whatsoever, and every reason to believe that this will further result in heightened insecurity and suffering.
The international community must be cognizant of these developments and take necessary measures to ensure that the situation does not escalate to a point of no return. Palestinians will never accept a proposal that asks them to denounce their claims to their homeland. Any attempt at forcing them to do so risks mass displacement and perpetual conflict, which can spill beyond Israeli borders. Without a serious commitment to international law and sustained dialogue between the two parties–with meaningful consideration of issues like borders, security, Jerusalem, refugees, and mutual recognition–there can be no durable political solution for this protracted crisis.
Reference List
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Image Source: The Times of Israel