The deal of the century: We have options

The date of the announcement of the infamous deal of the century is still vague. There are some who say that the US administration postponed this announcement until after the midterm elections in the United States, meaning after next November.

In addition to this, the details of the deal have not been officially announced although the US has begun taking serious and dangerous steps to implement the deal by trying to withdraw key issues from any future deal. Such issues include Jerusalem, refugees, and the Gaza Strip, in order to only negotiate the rest of the issues.

The US is trying to pass a deal that does not include the minimum Arab and Palestinian demands, and cannot be accepted by any Palestinian or Arab leader. There is no rational Arab citizen who can accept such a “solution” as it is basically a liquidation of the Palestinian cause and a complete surrender to Israel.

Everyone agrees on this in Jordan, on the official and popular level, and has stayed away from the bidding of hypocrites and those selling out the cause. This is because the issue we are facing is not related to different opinions on the deal, as there is no difference in opinion about how damaging it is to the cause.

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The question that must be raised officially and publicly today is what we are doing in the face of it. It is enough to just condemn, denounce, and direct accusations and then feel as if we have done our part, while the US and Israel are working to change the facts on the ground every day?

It is time to take a serious stand to prevent this deal. The bottom line is that any American or Israeli action will not succeed in the long run as long as the Palestinian people are steadfast on their land.

This is because such steadfastness will lead over the next few decades to a clear majority of Palestinians within the territories now under Israeli control. History

Israeli forces disrupted a Palestinian protest which demonstrated against the Israeli occupation over Palestinian lands on the 41st Palestinian Land Day in Bethlehem, West Bank on 30 March 2017 [Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency]

The steadfastness of the Palestinians on their land is an ultimate Jordanian interest, and of course it is a Palestinian interest and needs a clear Jordanian and Arab strategy to support it.

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The current Jordanian and international approach with Israel has tried yet not succeeded in ending the Israeli occupation.

It is time for a new approach today to support the Palestinian people on their land and to support the efforts of His Majesty the King to reject the deal of the century, and to prevent the imposition of a solution at the expense of Jordan. It should include:

1. Stopping all forms of normalisation with Israel and security cooperation with Israel. It is irrational for Jordan to continue to have normalised relations with Israel while Israel acts against the Jordanian interests.
2. Cancelling the gas agreement with Israel, as it is not natural for Israel to try to implement the deal of the century and seize Jerusalem while we continue to buy gas from it, regardless of any economic considerations. This is an existential issue, not an economic one.
3. Adopting a governmental and parliamentary decision not to renew the lease agreement for the land in Baqoura. There is no international party who could say that this violates the peace agreement, which gives Jordan the full right not to renew this agreement.
4. Coordinating with the Arab countries to support the steadfastness of the Palestinians on their land materially and morally. It is not difficult to establish an Arab fund that provides serious annual support for the next 20 years to prevent the Judaisation of Arab lands and to create jobs for the Palestinians on their land.

This is a national responsibility we must all bear, including the government, parliament, former officials, and civil society organisations. We must stand behind them, and the King, and play our role as an integrated society.  By doing so, we will have to provide a true service to our nation, to the Palestinian cause and to our future as an Arab nation on this part of the earth.

This article first appeared in Arabic in The New Khaleej on 15 August 2018

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.