The Palestinian cause and the awaited lifeline

It is no longer a secret that the Palestinian cause has never been in a worse state than it is now. The issue here is not only about the level of pressure and suffering that the Palestinian people are subjected to, but also about a dangerous qualitative shift in the management of the issue.

It has effectively moved into the hands of some mercenaries and reckless extremist Palestinian organizations that have thrown themselves into Iran’s embrace. Iran, in turn, is using the Palestinian cause as a card in its broader strategic and ideological conflict with the US and Israel.

True, some argue that this dangerous development has occurred due to the fragmentation, weakness, and disintegration that has afflicted the so-called Arab collective system. But that’s only part of the story, not all of it.

Now, for well-known reasons, the Arabs have failed to support the cause, especially since the regional chaos that erupted in 2011, with regional powers and proxy militias plotting and playing roles.

But we must also recognize that neither Iran nor other countries have offered anything real to the Palestinian cause other than slogans, fiery speeches and many civilian casualties, deaths and displaced persons.

We are speaking here from the perspective of the Palestinian people and unarmed civilians who have paid exorbitant prices with their blood, lives, and property in the current absurd war in the Gaza Strip, where terrorist mercenaries have gambled with the fate of Gazans.

The Arabs, due to the terrorist attack on October 7 launched by Hamas terror group — without even coordinating with its political leadership according to some sources — have been pushed into a reactive position.

Arab countries found themselves surrounded by a circle of fire and the possibility of escalation, with the fighting in Gaza potentially turning into a regional war that could burn everything in its path.

These Arab countries found themselves victims of a crime committed by a terrorist militia, trapped between the suffering of Palestinian civilians on one hand and popular pressures demanding these countries to act to protect the Palestinian people on the other.

This has created a miserable image of collective Arab impotence, with repeated talk of condemnations, appeals, and demands known in advance to be futile. The Arabs’ problem is not in their League, nor in the absence of summit meetings that issue decisions and adopt positions different from what is prevailing. All these are symptoms of diseases nesting in the Arab and Palestinian body.

Foremost among these, without dispute, is this deplorable state of conflict and struggle for the seat of power among Palestinian organizations, militias, and movements.

This has exhausted major countries such as Russia and China in searching for reconciliations between enemy factions that differ in ideology and loyalty, whose disagreements remain unchanged despite the catastrophe befalling their people, instead of directing this great diplomatic effort towards finding a settlement to the conflict with Israel.

Amidst this unfortunate regional and Palestinian scene caused by a terrorist militia, I find no glimmer of political and diplomatic hope except through the Emirati approach.

Emirati diplomacy is making continuous and tremendous efforts to save the entire region from an impending disaster, to snatch the Palestinian cause from the hands of mercenaries, tamperers, and schemers, and to search for serious solutions after all initiatives and solutions proposed over past decades have receded or rather disappeared.

The Emirati diplomatic approach, which faces a suspicious campaign of criticism from mercenaries and traders of the cause and regional beneficiaries, stems from comprehensive thinking about all aspects of the crisis.

The UAE has not stopped at the humanitarian and relief dimension, which attests to its effectiveness and focus on providing actual support to the Palestinian people, regardless of the challenges and defamation campaigns.

It presents a strategic vision for the solution by attempting to make a radical and total change in the course of the conflict and move towards establishing a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel, through a strategy that addresses the prevailing cycle of violence and lays new foundations for a future that embraces both Palestinian and Israeli peoples.

The recently announced Emirati proposal includes a realistic vision that addresses various humanitarian, political and security facets of the crisis.

It ends the catastrophic Palestinian division that has opened the door to the current events in Gaza, stops the role of militias and extremist organizations, tackles corruption in the Authority and restructures it according to new rules and standards that ensure the realization of the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people to build their state.

The Emirati vision is highly balanced and includes obligating all parties to bear their responsibilities to resolve the conflict, including stopping settlement construction, ending violence, regional and international cooperation, and an explicit American commitment to achieving the two-state solution and encouraging Palestinian reforms.

Emirati diplomacy is dealing effectively and quietly to end this conflict by regaining the initiative and reclaiming this cause, which has been hijacked by Palestinian mercenaries and extremists for the benefit of non-Arab regional parties and goals other than those sought by the Palestinian people.

In doing so, the UAE endures accusations of treason and agency and faces a flood of betrayal insults on the media. However, it continues to present its visions and bear the responsibility of a message it carries on its shoulders in defending human and civilizational values, alleviating suffering, and providing humanitarian support and relief to all those in need.

This determination increases after it has become clear that leaving things to continue on their current path, which everyone is following and perhaps expecting its catastrophic outcomes, means that there is a larger and more massive humanitarian and security catastrophe awaiting our region.

So, I imagine that this Emirati effort has become the only available lifeline to exit the spiral of violence and bloodshed that has not stopped for about ten months.

Salem AlKetbi is a UAE political analyst and former Federal National Council candidate