“The Deal of the Century” concocted by the administration of US President Donald Trump is more likely to reignite a fire on the Palestinian street than lead to a peace agreement between the two sides.
The expected rollout of the plan comes as the West Bank has seen a period of relative calm and economic stability for Israelis and Palestinians alike.
Relative being the key word of course.
Palestinians, who had no input in the proposed plan, have already condemned and rejected any part of the deal. An official statement released by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has warned of “serious consequences” for the whole region if Trump’s plan goes against the “sovereignty or identity” of the Palestinian people.
“The ‘Deal of the Century’ will not pass without the Palestinian people’s consent,” the statement said. “The Palestinian leadership, with support of the people, will hamper all attempts to bring to an [unsatisfactory] end the Palestinian issue, as it has done numerous times in the past.”
The timing of the announcement, the statement added, is “nothing but an attempt to help Netanyahu and Trump in their personal crises at the expense of the Palestinians... We call upon our people to rally around its leadership in this harsh historical reality.”
PA officials, who have called for a “Day of Rage,” have also hinted that the Palestinian leadership might end its security coordination with Israel in the West Bank.
Suspending security cooperation is one of the Palestinian’s strongest cards. If Abbas follows through on his threat, Israel’s security will be greatly affected, as Palestinian security forces have prevented many attacks in the West Bank against IDF soldiers and Israeli civilians.
Cooperation and coordination between Israel and the PA began with the Oslo Accords signed in 1993, and both the PA and IDF see the security cooperation as a critical aspect to maintaining stability in the West Bank.
Though the level of violence in the West Bank is at a recent low, the IDF has already raised its alert level. According to Army Radio, the military has deployed six battalions and attached combat battalions to every regional brigade able to respond to attacks and violent riots.
On Sunday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi canceled a symposium on operational and combat systems upgrades that was to have been attended by all IDF brigadier generals.
Israel is no stranger to unilateral decision making when it comes to the Palestinians, none of which led to peace.
Fifteen years ago, Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip without coordinating with the PA leadership. The result was the violent takeover of Gaza by Hamas, thousands of rockets, three wars and countless deaths.
Fifteen years ago, Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip without coordinating with the PA leadership. The result was the violent takeover of Gaza by Hamas, thousands of rockets, three wars and countless deaths.
With an unpredictable street, any destabilizing event can lead to an outbreak of violence. While the West Bank is not Gaza, and despite a growing number of Palestinians who are apathetic to the talking heads in Washington, Jerusalem or Ramallah, the fragile calm could be shattered in an instant.
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