Unveiling the Truth: The Palestinian Issue Can No Longer Be Ignored by Mideast and US Leaders

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in August that Arab states were treating the Palestinian issue as a mere formality when seeking to form connections with Israel, indicating that it was no longer a significant matter of concern.

"You need to verify it to confirm your action," he claimed. Regarding the Palestinian matter, he stated that it is discussed "less frequently than assumed" during negotiations with Arab nations.

A month later, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) acknowledged the presence of discussions aimed at normalizing relations with Israel. As a condition for recognition, he mentioned that Israel must "improve the living conditions of the Palestinians," without explicitly endorsing the establishment of a Palestinian state. This effectively renounces a longstanding Saudi commitment to only make peace with Israel after it completely withdraws from occupied territories, a promise that has been in place for two decades.

However, Hamas' recent violent assault on Israel over the weekend has once again brought the Palestinian issue to the forefront of global attention. This unexpected attack may have hindered Israel's ongoing attempts to broaden its diplomatic ties, known as the "circle of peace," with Arab nations that have opted to bypass the Palestinian conflict in forging relationships with Israel.

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Listen to how the global community responds to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Scholar Omar Rahman, specializing in Palestinian matters at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, describes the recent attack as a pivotal moment in this ongoing conflict. The assault claimed the lives of 1,200 individuals in Israel and led to Israeli airstrikes resulting in 1,055 deaths in Gaza.

Israeli leaders have long held the belief that they can indefinitely confine Palestinians to isolated enclaves, as stated to CNN. The international community appears to have lost interest, and the Palestinian Arab allies are now aligning with the most right-wing government in Israeli history. This grim reality leaves Palestinians without any hope or prospects for a better political future, as they face the enduring reality of being oppressed.

A Saudi-Israeli agreement would have been a significant diplomatic triumph for Netanyahu, as it would have helped alleviate Israel's regional isolation without requiring notable compromises for the Palestinians. It would have also served as a noteworthy foreign policy accomplishment for the Biden administration as they approach next year's presidential elections.

The year 2020 marked the beginning of a significant trend in Arab nations as they started normalizing their relations with Israel. Countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan recognized the Jewish state while also expressing verbal support for the Palestinian cause. This momentous agreement, known as the Abraham Accords, was facilitated by the Trump administration and hailed as a pivotal moment in the region.

Normalization as a cornerstone of US policy

The United States prioritizes Arab-Israeli normalization as a key aspect of its Middle East policy, which some critics argue is at the detriment of more urgent concerns. The exclusion of the Palestinians from these agreements has faced criticism from various perspectives. In 2020, the UAE acknowledged Israel's existence on the condition that Israel abandoned its plans to annex sections of the West Bank. However, skeptics argue that the agreement text did not specify this condition and only makes two references to the Palestinian issue.

According to Khaled Elgindy, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and director of its Program on Palestine and Israeli-Palestinian Affairs, the Biden administration is pursuing what he refers to as the "shiny new toy" of normalization. Elgindy suggests that the international community has been indifferent to the struggles faced by the Palestinians and has shifted their attention elsewhere. However, he believes that recent events over the weekend have the potential to refocus attention on the Palestinian issue within regional, international, and global discussions.

Jordans King Abdullah strongly criticized the recent Saudi-Israeli normalization process, arguing that Arab states, including those that have already acknowledged Israel, face a difficult predicament "when Israelis and Palestinians are losing their lives."

Israel's Itamar Ben Gvir and the United Arab Emirates' Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Al Khaja greet each other in Tel Aviv on December 1.

Itamar Ben Gvir/Twitter

Israel's recent shift towards the right has put its new Arab allies in a difficult situation. At a conference in New York, he dismissed the notion of bypassing Palestine and attempting to resolve conflicts with the Arab world first. Netanyahu also mentioned in an interview with CNN that he believes establishing peace with Saudi Arabia may eventually pave the way for peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

Haaretz, Israel's leading left-wing newspaper, harshly criticized Netanyahu in a scathing editorial following the Hamas attack. The blame was placed squarely on him for disregarding the existence and rights of Palestinians in his pursuit of an agreement with Saudi Arabia. Elham Fakhro, a research associate at Chatham House in London and author of an upcoming book on Arab-Israeli normalization, stated that talks of normalization with Saudi Arabia cannot progress while Israel remains engaged in conflict with Gaza.

According to her, both Presidents Trump and Biden prioritized Arab-Israeli normalization in the region without making any significant progress in promoting peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. She argued that the current intense escalation in the conflict is a direct consequence of this negligence. However, the US is determined to ensure that the recent attacks over the weekend do not hinder the process of normalization.

"We strongly advocate for the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, as it not only serves the best interests of their citizens, but also the American people and all countries in the region," emphasized John Kirby, the spokesperson for the US National Security Council during a recent statement on Tuesday. "We remain fully committed to promoting and fostering an ongoing process that paves the way for successful normalization."

Saudi takes a traditional approach

The potential for Saudi-Israel normalization seemed to have progressed significantly, so much so that last month, the Biden administration introduced a groundbreaking proposal to establish a maritime and rail trade network connecting India to Europe, which would also connect Saudi Arabia to Israel. This plan was widely seen as a potential hindrance to China's trade aspirations and was expected to be implemented after the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

However, the recent Hamas attacks on Israel and Israel's forceful response have led Riyadh to adopt a more conventional approach to the conflict.

Responding to the attack on Saturday, Saudi Arabia held Israel responsible for its "persistent occupation and infringement on the Palestinian people's rightful entitlements," while refraining from explicitly denouncing Hamas. Hamas is a derivative of the Muslim Brotherhood, which Riyadh classifies as a terrorist organization. MBS engaged in a conversation with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, conveying solidarity.

A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on Monday.

Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Israel is engaged in a conflict against Hamas. Here's what you should be aware of:

According to an article in The Washington Post by Mohammed Al Yahya, a prominent Saudi commentator, Saudi officials have expressed their frustration regarding the perception that they have lost interest in the Palestinian cause. However, Al Yahya stated that the previous Saudi demand for a complete Israeli retreat from the land it seized during the 1967 war is now considered outdated.

Arab nations that established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020 did so despite facing strong resistance from their public, as revealed by a survey conducted by the Washington Institute. If Israel proceeds with a potentially devastating ground invasion into Gaza, the opposition towards normalization is likely to intensify, further fueling discontent among the Arab population. According to the same poll, approximately three-quarters of the populations in the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia were against normalizing relations with Israel. Elgindy, an expert, believes that the ultimate aim of the Hamas operation is to prevent a return to the previous state of affairs and disrupt Israel's sense of complacency.

CNNs Nadeen Ebrahim contributed to this report.