The Foundations of Peace

The region has not witnessed this degree of tension since the revolutions of the year of chaos in 2011. The present and future of all its countries are now under threat, and the specter of crisis looms larger with every day that the Gaza war continues. Internationally, reactions to the scenes in Gaza have exceeded expectations, so much so that US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public quarrels are making headlines and being followed on TV.
Indeed, Biden has no choice but to impose calm in Gaza, and Netanyahu is not understanding. For his part, Netanyahu is compelled to improve his image, a concern Biden does not share. This has given rise to a rare divergence in views.
Negotiators from the mediator countries are working diligently and traveling the world to hold meetings on all levels- with nation leaders, foreign ministers, and intelligence officials - as they vie to solve the problem or at least alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza. Yet, the war continues, because the two parties to the conflict, Israel and Hamas, remain intransigent and refuse to budge as the number of casualties in Gaza is expected to reach 30,000 people soon, one-third of them children.
What has come to be known as the "next day" of the war, i.e. what happens after it ends, has become an important part of the discussion, especially among Arab countries, because while the circumstances may be bleak, they also create hope for a massive opportunity to resolve the historic Palestinian question.
In September of last year, a Palestinian national project to resolve the conflict between the rival factions had been underway. It enjoyed the support of the major Arab players, and the Palestinian Authority, at least, engaged with them seriously. During this period, we saw leaks that a peaceful solution to the issue as Riyadh made a solution to the Palestinian issue a requisite for normalization.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not see itself as just any country. As the political analyst Ihab Abbas put it, Riyadh is the jewel in the crown, and normalization with it is keenly sought by both the United States and Israel.
None of the parties involved knew what Hamas was planning, even the members of the movement holding talks with representatives of the Palestinian Authority to mend the Palestinian divide. Hamas had circumvented all previous peaceful solutions. However, the reality is that this war did not shuffle the cards like the events of 2011, nor did it obscure the scene. On the contrary, there is now a clear and steadfast commitment to a single goal. We may not have even seen European positions as positive and fair to the Palestinians as those being voiced today. The European Union, along with the United States, Arab countries, China, and Russia - regardless of each party's interest - are all united in their push to compel Tel Aviv to end the war. Netanyahu sees this alignment against him and knows that he has stepped into a mine; thus, he will not move it until the end.
Since March 2002, we have not heard of a unified and decisive Arab push to solve the issue through the "two-state solution". As explosions roared in Gaza, Israel, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, representatives of the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates met in Riyadh last week ago to discuss what has been called a "path of return" toward a Palestinian state.
The first and most important step along this path is closing the ranks of the Plaestinians. The rivals must be brought together under a single administration that represents the Palestinian state internationally, one that is not marred by parties involved in the ongoing war. It is not too early to say that an interim Palestinian government negotiating for this state and choosing the capital is the best course, as the current climate and conditions are not suitable for organizing elections, as happened in 2006, not long ago. Today, the Palestine Liberation Organization has a national duty and an opportunity it has not had for decades. And it is not alone; it is supported by an Arab alliance that has the tools needed to influence Washington and Tel Aviv.
It is important to return to the day "before" October 7, 2023, and revive the negotiations on this basis: a two-state solution along the 1967 borders and the reconstruction and resettlement of the Palestinians in Gaza. Despite the determination we see in Arab states to support an independent Palestine, they will certainly have to contend with an ever-present problem, the parties that do not seek peace and cannot coexist with peace. Nonetheless, we are at a critical juncture in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
To conclude, to be honest and fair with our Palestinian brothers, we must tell them that no matter how strongly they can rely on the support of any Arab country, no one will be able to end their crisis unless they unite behind one mission, one man, and one collective national objective.