It Is Unclear How the Israeli-UAE Deal Is the Blueprint for Lasting Peace in The Middle East
By
Saad Hafiz
September
7, 2020
The
Israeli-UAE normalization agreement is an optimistic sign of old animosity
between Israel and Arab states dissipating. Significantly, the deal comes
decades after a similar thaw between Israel, Egypt, and Jordan.
Palestinians gather to protest a deal between the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) and Israel to normalize ties in Gaza City, Gaza on August 19, 2020.
Photo: AFP
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But other
than helping President Donald Trump’s re-election chances, providing a
distraction to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption charges, and
opening doors for UAE Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed to buy more sophisticated
US weapons, it is unclear how the Israeli-UAE deal is the blueprint for lasting
peace in the Middle East.
Although
genuine steps towards peace in the Middle East are welcome, just reduced
hostility between Israel and Arab governments is not enough. So far, there is
little evidence that the Arab public at large has developed warm feelings for
Israelis or that the “psychological barrier” of Palestine that has long impeded
ties between Israelis and Arabs is fading.
The reality
is that the Israeli-UAE breakthrough is part of a trend where authoritarian
Arab regimes choose self-preservation over any pretensions to support
Palestinian rights.
For their
part, Arab rulers look to Israel for protection against the twin threats of
radical Islam and Iran. But in the absence of a true partnership between Jews
and Arabs, peace strategies built on coercion and deterrence are unlikely to
have a long-term future.
Authoritarianism
in the Middle East
In fact,
Israel, one of the region’s few democracies, is making a peace deal with yet
another authoritarian Arab state. Ironically, Israel is finding it expedient to
support authoritarian rulers in the Middle East, like its patron the United
States.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi
Eizenkot (L) give a press conference in Tel Aviv, on December 4, 2018.
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Historically,
external support for democracy and human rights in the Middle East has taken a
back-seat to support dictators in the name of stability and peace. This myopic policy
has contributed to the fact that democracy is near non-existent in the region.
As a result, the Middle East is littered with authoritarian states or equally
authoritarian regimes and entities with democratic or radical guise.
However,
despite reports of secret negotiations with Israel, other countries widely
rumored to jump on the peace bandwagon have not followed the UAE. For the
moment, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman have publicly expressed their continued
support for a two-state solution.
Israel’s
Occupation of Palestine
It is hard
to gauge public opinion on Israeli recognition because of the tight controls on
the media and political activity in most Arab states. But the reluctance of
pivotal Saudi Arabia to follow the UAE suggests that other countries will want
to proceed cautiously. The rulers perhaps fear domestic unrest, knowing that
public opinion doesn’t support ties with Israel without progress on the
Palestinian issue.
Nevertheless,
as more Arab countries signal that they are ready to live with Israel’s
occupation of Palestine, it reduces the options for the Palestinians. Unlike
the past two Israeli-Arab peace agreements, the UAE deal doesn’t offer any
succor to the Palestinians.
Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده
@RamAbdu
#Israel and its ethics and their so called values are seen in a photo.
It’s heavily armed soldiers are crushing an old man who tried to protect his
property from land theft in #West_Bank city of Tulkarm. Israeli occupation is
indeed disgrace for humanity.! #GeorgeFloyd #Palestine
The 1978
Israeli-Egypt agreements and the 1994 Israeli-Jordan at least demanded an
Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories and the formation of the
Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza, leading to the creation of a
Palestinian state.
In fact,
Israel paid a low price for the UAE relationship by agreeing to defer its
threat to annex more West Bank territory. The muted reaction from governments
in the region confirms a long-known fact that no Arab country is prepared to
confront Israel for the sake of the beleaguered Palestinians.
Lasting
Peace
The hard
facts are that the Israel-UAE deal will increase divisions among Arab and
Muslim states.
Israel will
continue to pound the Palestinians for perceived transgressions as the two
sides are too far apart to start a meaningful dialogue. And despite
governmental moves towards peace, generations of Arabs and Muslims brought up
on questioning Israel’s legitimacy and seeing endless Palestinian suffering are
even less likely to wholeheartedly back the normalization of relations.
The only
way forward lies in political compromise and dropping maximalist demands. For
instance, with security guarantees, Israel should agree to a viable Palestinian
state. With their autonomy and dignity restored, the Palestinian people must
aim to build a democratic state in contrast to the authoritarian states in much
of the Arab and Muslim worlds.
A tall
order indeed, but until then, the prospects for lasting peace in the Middle
East seems a distant dream.
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Saad
Hafiz is an analyst and commentator on politics, peace, and security issues.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the editorial position of The New Age Islam.
Original
Headline: Is the Israeli-UAE Deal a Blueprint for Lasting Peace in the Middle
East?
Source: The Defence Post
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