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The Palestinians and the normalization agreements with Israel
Abstract
The Palestinian response to Israel's normalization agreements with the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco began with total rejection, across the Palestinian political spectrum. However, it is currently evolving, reflecting adaptation to the new regional reality of normalization. This Palestinian flexibility stems from recognition of international and regional political constraints, as well as from an intra-Palestinian clash between approaches. It also reflects growing acknowledgement of regional processes that in the past two decades pushed the Palestinian issue from the top of Arab priorities. The change in Palestinian policy reflects an approach that calls for working with the normalizing states to lead to a settlement between the Palestinians and Israel “from within,” through close engagement, as opposed to the traditional Arab pressure on Israel “from outside,” through boycotts, military measures, etc. This turnaround, which was received relatively quietly even in Hamas, aligns with the normalizing states’ claim that their access to Israel in fact protects Palestinian interests: An example would be the UAE’s claim that by normalizing relations with Israel it halted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to annex portions of the Jordan Valley in the West Bank. This raises the question of whether the Palestinians will build on the strategy of dealing with Israel “from within,” and whether by working more closely with the UAE and others it will produce the tangible results the Palestinians expect.
Discipline
History
Geographic Area
Israel
Sub Area
19th-21st Centuries