As long as the Arab world remains firm and clear that the United States must stop blocking the two-state solution, an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, a member of the UN, will soon emerge.
Israel's war against Gaza has become the Palestine Liberation War. The brutality of war and blatant disregard for international law have shaken global politics to the core. But with Arab unity, Palestine will achieve its liberation, paving the way to peace and security in the Middle East through a two-state solution.
Although the US government recognizes the need for a two-state solution, it blocks it in practice, with the only veto last month against Palestinian membership in the United Nations. Israel is counting on the United States to continue preventing the emergence of a truly sovereign State of Palestine. However, even this obstacle can be overcome.
Arab nations, with impressive unity, are evading American resistance. Following an Arab League meeting in Bahrain in mid-May, the Arab world is working to hold a global conference to implement the two-state solution.
The Bahrain Declaration calls for “an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations to resolve the Palestinian question on the basis of a two-state solution, ending the Israeli occupation of all occupied Arab territories and embodying a Palestinian state.” independent, sovereign and viable in accordance with the resolutions of international legitimacy, to live in peace and security alongside Israel, as a way to achieve a just and global peace.”
Arab unity around the two-state solution has been strengthening for more than two decades. The breakthrough came in 2002 with the Arab Peace Initiative, although Israel rejected the Arab peace offer of the two-state solution and the United States repeatedly backed Israel in its rejection policies. Following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October, Arab and Islamic leaders reiterated the peace proposal at a meeting in Riyadh in November.
Since then, Arab-backed diplomacy for the two-state solution has been accelerating, even as Israel's war against Gaza has continued unabated on the ground. After numerous delays and vetoes by the United States, the UN Security Council finally endorsed an immediate ceasefire on March 25, although Israel blatantly ignored the resolution. On April 18, the UN Security Council voted overwhelmingly in favor of Palestinian membership in the UN, with only the United States voting against and two countries (the United Kingdom and Switzerland) abstaining. On May 10, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed Palestine's bid for UN membership in a vote of 143 to 9. On May 22, Norway, Spain and Ireland announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state, and The Irish prime minister said he is confident that “more countries will follow in his footsteps.”
Not only is the diplomatic process in the United States and the Arab League isolating the United States, but the force of international law is also weighing down relentlessly. South Africa's case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide has led to a crucial provisional ruling by the ICJ on January 26, which said it is plausible that Israel is violating the 1948 Genocide Convention, as an emergency Friday order for Israel to immediately stop its operations in Rafah. This week, the International Criminal Court prosecutor also recommended arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, along with three Hamas leaders.
A global conference would end the US tour. The United States will most likely change its own position. The isolation of the United States in the world is intolerable for its security and national interests. The United States needs good relations with the Arab world with its almost 500 million inhabitants, its strategic location, its economic role and its centrality in the global energy system. The United States also needs good relations with the broader Islamic world and its nearly two billion Muslims.
The Israel lobby in the United States is working feverishly to slow progress toward a two-state solution. In corrupt US politics, money talks. Israel lobby promises campaign financing. However, lobbying has its limits. American public opinion is turning against Israel's apartheid regime and its horrific violence in Gaza.
The mainstream American media is now showing the American public that long before last October, Israel's justice system had already become an instrument of oppression, dispossession, and systematic murder against the Palestinians. Social media broadcasts the daily destruction in Gaza with Israeli soldiers gloating as they destroy a university, a hospital or an apartment building.
The United States is trying one last tactic, the old divide-and-conquer trick: trying to break Arab unity over Palestine through a side deal with Saudi Arabia. The United States promises nuclear technology, advanced fighter jets and a defense pact if the Saudis immediately normalize relations with Israel, leaving the sovereignty of a Palestinian state to another vague peace process.
The American tactic will almost certainly fail, as Arab countries are recognizing the unprecedented power of Arab unity to establish peace in their region. The Arab countries are not only on the side of justice for the Palestinian people but also on the side of overwhelming world opinion. As long as the Arab world remains firm and clear that the United States must stop blocking the two-state solution, an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, a member of the UN, is likely to emerge very soon in accordance with the will of the region. and the world community.
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.
