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The Arab world has not expressed anger at the commitment made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the West Bank.
"At a time when the Israeli prime minister was committed to annexing the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank, this unilateral decision would have provoked anger in the Arab world, but not today," Ben said. Hebard, Beirut correspondent.
The reasons for Prime Minister Netanyahu's silent response to Prime Minister Netanyahu's pledge on Tuesday are numerous: this attempt was seen as an attempt by Netanyahu to attract extremist voters to vote for him in the elections next Tuesday, as Israel controlled actually the territory that he had promised to annex. Feelings throughout the Arab world. "Yes, they care, but they will move their armies," Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab said. Will they withdraw their money from the United States? No "
Ben-Hubbard says that Netanyahu's promise comes after a transformation strategy that has turned the reality of the Palestinian issue into a priority for Arab leaders and their people. This comes after Donald Trump endorsed a series of unilateral Israeli decisions on the occupied territories.
A number of Arab countries such as Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Iraq are still experiencing the aftermath of the Arab Spring, the uprisings and the confrontation of the Islamic State, placing them at the center of their concerns. The Gulf countries that have supported the Palestinians are now afraid of the regional influence of Iran, a concern it shares with Israel.
These changes have left the Palestinians with few Arab allies willing to defend their cause. "The Palestinian issue is back," said Khaled al-Jundi, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, author of a book on the role of the United States in the conflict. Arab leaders may have tried to avoid denouncing Netanyahu because they did not want to or could not face it. "They increase expectations," they say. "If they say we oppose them, it's terrible, there are people's expectations and they will do something about it."
This does not mean that Arab public opinion no longer cares about the Palestinian question: support for the creation of a Palestinian state is the only subject that is generating consensus in the Arab world, even though people do not show up during events.
The issue is particularly sensitive in Jordan, an ally of the United States, which has signed a peace treaty with Israel, which lies on the other side of the region and which Netanyahu has promised to annex. On Monday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi criticized Netanyahu's remarks as "a serious escalation that would undermine all peace efforts." "It will lead to more violence and conflict," he warned.
Trump's support for Israeli positions has also played an important role. While former US presidents tried to remain neutral in the conflict and welcomed the Palestinian authorities as part of their support for a two-state solution, Trump clearly expressed his bias for Israel, did not meet with the Palestinian authorities and ordered the closure from the headquarters of the PLO mission in Washington.
Trump changed US policy towards the occupied territories and endorsed Israel's unilateral decisions in that country. He recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and transferred the US Embassy to Tel Aviv, angering Palestinians who regard East Jerusalem as their capital. Trump also recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Syrian Golan Heights, occupied since 1967.
Lina Khatib, Program Manager for the Middle East at Chatham House in London, said that if Trump's decisions remain silent, Netanyahu's promise regarding the Jordan Valley would not cause anger in the region with the greatest likelihood . She said, "The Arab world will treat this promise as a statement in its campaign for the Israeli elections, in which Netanyahu needs a decisive victory to form a government."
In the Jordan Valley, 11,000 Israelis live in settlements built in the center of Jericho and the surrounding agricultural villages of 65,000.
Ninety percent of the territory is under Israeli control and under the control of the army, and Palestinians are prohibited from using 85% of the territory. Israel says the Jordan Valley is important for its security and Netanyahu called it the eastern border of Israel.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said all agreements with Israel would end if Israel annexed the Jordan Valley. Others contend that the annexation of the region would leave most of the Palestinian territory divided, thus completely eliminating the two-state solution.
Kuttab says that he still supports the idea of a Palestinian state, but his sons consider it impractical: "They say that there are many settlements in the West Bank and that there is no one in the West Bank. there is no place for a state, and the best is to fight for long-term equality. "
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