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U.S. Peace Plan: Palestinians Should Abandon Posturing

(The National-Abu Dhabi) Raghida Dergham - European countries, collectively or individually, will not oppose the proposed U.S. peace plan. Russia will not oppose the U.S. as the erstwhile Soviet Union had done. China will not bring this issue into the calculations of its relationship with the U.S. The Arab countries are divided, with some calling for negotiations to improve the terms and others encouraging the Palestinians to focus on the positives. Iran and Turkey will engage in one-upmanship, but beyond the use of shiny slogans devoid of meaning, neither country is interested in having a direct confrontation with Israel or risking further U.S. sanctions. The Palestinians should realize that Iran will be unable to deliver on any promises of resistance and retaliation against the deal. Given that there would be no way for a Palestinian state to emerge without U.S. approval, its leaders need to take a hard look at their policy of refusing to talk to U.S. or Israeli authorities. President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority must stop engaging in verbal posturing. The posturing, which includes calling for resistance and boycotts, almost always takes place at the expense of Palestinians. The leadership's current bid to oppose the deal will not have much impact on the ground, except garnering applause at the UN. However, Abbas is unlikely to receive as much moral support as before. As one Russian official said, the Palestinians must "not overdo contrariness" and should "adopt a flexible tactic rather than absolute rejection of what has been proposed." The writer is the founder and executive chairwoman of the Beirut Institute.
2020-02-03 00:00:00
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