The Restoration Of Palestinian Relations With Israel Triggers Turmoil

Israel's annexation of the West Bank (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The Palestinian Authority has announced that they will restore relations with Israel. The turmoil ensued. The plan to normalize relations has met with widespread opposition in Palestine and accused the authorities of undermining efforts at internal reconciliation.

Last May, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cut off coordination with Israel, including in the security sector. The action was the Palestinian response to Israel's plan to annex 30 percent of the West Bank.

Then, all of a sudden on the evening of Tuesday 17 November, the Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein Al-Sheikh made an astonishing announcement via his Twitter account. The content of the announcement is a decision to restore relations with Israel.

Quoting Arab News Thursday, November 19, Al-Sheikh hopes that Palestinian-Israeli relations will soon return to what it was before Abbas decided on coordination last May. The reason, Al-Sheikh claimed to have confirmed that Israel will comply with the signed agreement.

As broadcast by the official Palestinian television channel, Al-Sheikh said the Palestinian Authority had recently sent a letter of remission to Israel. The letter contains questions about their commitment to the agreement signed with the Palestine Liberation Organization. On Tuesday 17 November, Al-Sheikh received a written response stating Israel's commitment to the agreement.

"The recognition of the signed agreement means that the 'Deal of the Century' (US President Donald Trump) is no longer on the table," said Al-Sheikh, who also described this as "a great victory and the fruit of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their leadership."

However, observers have questioned the timing of the Palestinian Authority's unexpected announcement. The announcement of ties with Israel coincides with talks between Fatah and Hamas in Cairo as the two main Palestinian political factions seek to negotiate a future path. Hamas issued a statement describing the Palestinian Authority's decision as a "stab in the back" of this process.

A political analyst close to Hamas, Ibrahim Al-Madhoun, said that announcements of improving Palestinian-Israeli relations were expected. But the way the Palestinian Authority announced the news was seen as ignoring the Palestinian people.

Others have noted that Israel's response to the Palestinian Authority was signed by "Regional Government Activities coordinator" Kamil Abu Rukun, not Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel's annexation of the West Bank

Annexation was postponed in August, when the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to normalize its relationship with Israel. But Netanyahu insisted that the pause was only temporary.

Bahrain and Sudan followed and followed the steps of the UAE to normalize relations with Israel. The two countries demand Israel's withdrawal from territory it has occupied illegally and the acceptance of Palestinian statehood in exchange for normal relations. The Palestinians denounced this agreement as a "backstabbing" and betrayal of their cause.

Netanyahu's office said Netanyahu had "warm conversations" with the winner of the US presidential election, Joe Biden. Two weeks after election day, Trump has yet to admit defeat, continuing to repeat claims of US election fraud without evidence.