Ramallah: After US president Donald Trump made the shocking statement on Wednesday that the US was considering on backtracking on its long-held commitment to the two-state solution, Palestinians are as pessimistic as ever.
Trump said it was up to the Israeli regime and the Palestinians to decide which scenario was the best.
“I’m looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like. I’m very happy with the one that both parties like,” he said. “I can live with either one.”
The two-state solution has been the cornerstone of US and international policy for decades, but Netanyahu has long wavered on his support for it.
Palestinian sources who spoke to the Gulf News believe that the abandonment of the two-state solution does not necessary mean there will be one state.
“The most likely scenario is there will be no solution and we will see a continuation of status quo Israeli policy in the occupied West Bank,” Sam Bahour, the Chairman of American for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy, told Gulf News.
“By entertaining a one or two state solution, he gave a present to his guest, Israeli PM Netanyahu, whose entire political career has been dedicated to making sure Palestinians never reach freedom and independence,” Bahour said.
Fatah Central Committee Member Nasser Kidwa told the Gulf News: “the alternative to the two-state solution is a bloody and painful conflict with the Israelis.”
Kidwa who served as former PLO representative to the UN said its clear that there is no clear US policy towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Palestinians are sceptical that Israel will accept a one state solution given high birth rates of Palestinians.
Currently there are an equal number of Jews and Palestinians living in historical Palestine, but high Palestinian birth rates combined with low Jewish birth rates will shift the demographic balance in favour of Palestinians in the near future.
“For Israel the alternative to the two-state solution is the apartheid,” Mustafa Barghouti, the secretary general of the National Initiative told Gulf News.
When Palestinians become the majority then it is only natural that there would be a Palestinian president, Barghouti explained.
“The US retreat from the two-state solution means a green light for the Israeli government to continues its colonisation of the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem,” political analyst Ghassan Khattib told Gulf News.
All previous US administrations considered colonies as an obstacle to peace and have championed, at least verbally, the two-state solution.
Palestinians believe the departure from this position will only lead to unprecedented land grabbing by Israelis.
For now, Palestinians cannot find any silver lining to the US policy shift.
Even though Trump postponed the relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem, he has not ruled it out, which means he could very well carry it out in the future.
Still there are many questions.
Israel insists it’s a Jewish state despite the fact that it has a sizeable population of Palestinian Muslims and Christians that hold Israeli citizenship.
These citizens complain of second-class treatment and some have even gone so far as to characterise themselves as third-class citizens.
If there is a one-state solution, would Israel still demand it be characterised a Jewish state?
Palestinians refuse to recognise Israel as Jewish state which has been an Israeli precondition to resume peace talks.
When there is no hope for a political solution, Palestinians continually turn to violence as was seen during the two separate Intifadas or uprisings.
The Palestinian leadership will be carrying out a slew of diplomatic meetings in the coming weeks with Arab and EU countries who are still committed to a two-state solution, according to sources from Fatah.
Barghouti called on the PA for immediate complain to the ICC, join all the UN international institutions, and for more countries around the world to unilaterally recognise the Palestinian state.
Palestinian sources in Ramallah say during recent talks between CIA chief Mike Pompeo and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Pompeo assured Abbas that Trump had no intention of weakening the Palestinian Authority despite his seemingly pro-Israeli stances.
Abbas said his government was “ready to deal positively” with the White House, highlighting Trump’s appeal to Netanyahu on Wednesday to “hold back” on colonies — seen as illegal by the international community — for a “little while.”
Right-wing Israelis, expectedly, reacted with joy to the Trump announcement.
“The Palestinian flag has come down from the mast and the Israeli flag has taken its place,” far-right Education Minister Naftali Bennett said.
Science Minister Ofir Akunis hailed “the end of a dangerous and erroneous idea: the creation of a Palestinian terrorist state in the heart of the land of Israel.”
