Palestinians must fight to stop Israel-Saudi normalization - opinion

Normalization, or even taking the first steps toward normalization with Saudi Arabia, is very important to Israel. For Israel, Saudi Arabia is the cherry on top of the cake made up of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco. Saudi Arabia is also, perhaps, the last point of leverage on Israel to renew a political process with the Palestinians.

Until the recent reports of US pressure on Saudi Arabia to begin normalizing with Israel, it seemed that the Saudis understood and believed that they could not normalize with Israel without completely tossing into the waste bin of history their own initiative, the Arab Peace Initiative of March 2002. 

The basic premise of the Saudi initiative, which was then adopted by all the Arab League countries and the Organization of Islamic States representing 57 nations, offered to place a welcome mat at Israel’s feet if it agreed to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in those territories, with east Jerusalem as its capital and an agreed solution to the Palestinian refugee issue.

In exchange for a fair Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, Israel would have full normalization and peace with the entire Arab and Muslim world. The deal was to pay first and receive the goods afterward. No Israeli government even responded to the initiative since its launch in 2002, nor has any Israeli government ever issued an Israeli peace initiative as an alternative approach. 

The UAE and Bahrain, and eventually Morocco, got tired of waiting for an Israeli response to the Arab Peace Initiative, and broke ranks telling Israel that they would reverse the process – Israel would first receive the goods and pay later. The UAE also believed that it was ensuring that Israel would not annex the West Bank in exchange for full peace. 

The Palestinian people and leadership feel betrayed by the peace agreements between the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, with Israel. Relations between the Palestinians and those countries have been strained ever since. Personally, I believe that the Palestinians should have found a way to leverage the relations between these Arab countries and Israel for their own benefit.

Why the Saudi-Israeli normalization deal must be stopped

KNOWING THAT Saudi Arabia may be heading in the same direction, the Palestinians should be engaging in very high-level talks with the Saudis. These should not only be aimed at preventing Saudi normalization steps with Israel prior to advancing a renewed peace process, but also look at the alternative scenario of what can be gained through the process that may happen. The Palestinians should be thinking of the possibility of Saudi-Israeli normalization and be asking: How can that benefit the Palestinian people? Because it might actually happen. 

I don’t quite understand why the Biden administration is pushing Saudi Arabia to enter into normalization steps with Israel, assuming that the reports in Israel genuinely reflect reality. Saudi Arabia wants nuclear energy for electricity generation from the US, a security pact with the US, and more of the most advanced US weapons. Saudi Arabia has its own strategic concerns in the region, mainly with Iran and Yemen.

Recent Saudi negotiations with Iran were a sign of loss of confidence in the US position in the region. The US is concerned about any movement of Saudi Arabia that brings it closer to Iran, and about China playing a more robust role in their relations with Saudi Arabia.

US and Saudi concerns can be dealt with, without advancing Saudi-Israeli understandings. It is inconceivable that the Biden administration believes that the current Israeli government can make even one millimeter of progress with the Palestinians.

The only explanation I can find for the US combining Saudi interests with advancing Israel’s interests at this time is the hope that it could provoke Netanyahu to remove the extremists from his government and to bring in Benny Gantz, Yair Lapid, and Avigdor Liberman (or some of them). If the cherry on the cake was ripe enough, perhaps the US could convince the leaders of Israeli opposition parties to enter Netanyahu’s government, even though not a single one of them believes a word spoken by Netanyahu.

The agreement to enter the government would essentially be between the Biden administration and the Israeli opposition leaders, and not between them and Netanyahu. Could the Israeli opposition leaders renege their refusal to join hands once again with Netanyahu if normalization with Saudi Arabia was on the table? 

My message to all of the parties is:

• To the Israeli opposition – Do not give in to the promise of normalization with Saudi Arabia even if Netanyahu tells you that he will progress with the Palestinians. He will not advance anything with the Palestinians. Don’t join him, beat him. The Israeli protest movement wants to help this government implode. Do not offer to save it.
• To the Palestinians – Talk to the Saudis, now and every day. Get every ally of the Palestinians in the region to talk to the Saudis. Tell the Saudis to stand firmly behind the Arab Peace Initiative. No progress with Israel until there is real progress with the Palestinians. 
• To the Saudis – Remember the Arab Peace Initiative. It was right in 2002 and it is still right in 2023. Remember al-Aqsa Mosque and think about the image of Itamar Ben-Gvir and his followers marching on the Temple Mount around the mosque. You are the last hope for the Palestinians.
• To the Biden administration – There is no reason to reward the government of Netanyahu and his council of ministers. Negotiate with the Saudis from the viewpoint of American interests. Consider Saudi interests that meet American interests. Just because the time is not right in your view to advance Israeli-Palestinian negotiations does not require removing an important incentive from the future negotiating table.
• To the Israeli public – Keep the protest movement moving forward to bring down the Netanyahu government. There is no assurance that a Netanyahu government with the opposition on the inside would be any better at advancing an Israeli Palestinian peace process than any have until now. 

While you are busy fighting for democracy, remember that at the root of the entire struggle is that there is no democracy with occupation. If the word “occupation” bothers you, then remember there is no democracy when Israel rules over another people who do not enjoy equal rights. 

Israeli-Saudi peace is a good thing, but only when it also includes ending the occupation and reaching Israeli-Palestinian peace.

The writer is a political and social entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to peace between Israel and her neighbors. He is a founding member of the Kol Ezraheiha – Kol Muwanteneiha (All of the Citizens) political party in Israel. He is now directing The Holy Land Bond and is the Middle East Director for ICO – International Communities Organization.