‘Resist, my people’

The recent decision by the UAE to normalize relations with Israel has been termed a “stab in the back” by Palestinian leaders. This move by the UAE makes it the third Arab State to establish diplomatic relations with the occupying power. However, unlike Egypt and Jordan’s decisions to reach peace deals with Israel, in 1979 and 1994 respectively, the UAE did not make its decision conditional on the return of occupied land.

The Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979 inter alia provided for the full withdrawal of Israel’s armed forces and civilians from the Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had gained control of during the Six Day War that occurred in 1967. Similarly, the 1994 Peace Treaty between Israel and Jordan secured for Jordan the restoration of its occupied land (around 380 square kilometres) and access to an equitable share of water from the Yarmouk and Jordan rivers.

The UAE’s move, however, has not come after a war or for the restoration of its territory and has been seen as paving the way for recognition of an occupying force by other Arab states. In fact, there are already concerns that Bahrain and Oman will follow suit.

A senior leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Saeb Erekat, has remarked: “This rewards Israel for continuing to occupy us, killing our children and building settlements. The UAE has wanted to do this for some time but what bothers me is that they are using us as a fig leaf”. That is perhaps the unkindest cut of all being sold to the world as an effort for the Palestinian people.

What makes this all the more disturbing is that the UAE has taken this decision ostensibly to secure for itself F-35 stealth fighter jets from the US. The minister for state for foreign affairs of the UAE stated: “The UAE expects that its requirements will be accepted”. On August 19, 2020, US President Donald Trump had mentioned that the US was considering selling advanced F-35 warplanes to the UAE. It appears this recognition is being extended and diplomatic ties normalized in exchange for warplanes (warplanes that may not even be given to the UAE, considering Israel’s opposition to the US supplying sophisticated military equipment to other states in the region).

The Palestinian people have been criminally neglected by the international community, despite countless pronouncements from within the United Nations and otherwise that Israeli actions, particularly in the West Bank and Gaza, are clear violations of international law. One can only imagine the pain of the Palestinian people stemming from this letdown.

This has already been recognized by the governments of Iran and Turkey, which have issued strong condemnations of this deal. The Iranian foreign ministry has termed the development dangerous. President Erdogan has talked of suspending diplomatic relations with the Abu Dhabi government.

The prime minister of Pakistan has also clearly stated that Pakistan has no intention of recognizing Israel, as that would be a betrayal not just of the Palestinian people but also of the Kashmiri cause. Effective lobbying for the Palestinian cause before the international community is needed and this is particularly important for Pakistan because of its stance on Kashmir and the right to self-determination.

This move by the UAE also has implications vis-à-vis any potential future negotiations between Israel and Palestine. In July this year, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had informed German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he was ready for negotiations with Israel, based on UN resolutions and under the aegis of the Middle East Quartet, comprising the US, Russia, the European Union and the UN. What incentive does Israel have to ensure a two-state solution when its illegal actions are being condoned through normalization of relations?

In May this year, the UN’s Middle East peace envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, informed the Security Council that all parties must use their efforts to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution, as per UN resolutions. Mladenov clearly warned against such unilateral actions which “put peace beyond our reach in our lifetime”, yet the UAE took such unilateral action without giving due consideration to the destructive impact of its action on the peace process as a whole.

Israel can only feel emboldened to continue violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), international human rights law and UN resolutions. Just this month, Israel carried out air strikes that hit a school in the al-Shati refugee camp in central Gaza City. While, luckily, no casualties were reported, the school that was targeted was affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Just after the UAE-Israel agreement, reports surfaced of Israeli armed boats opening fire towards Palestinian fishing boats in Khan Younis (in southern Gaza), along with attacks by Israeli warplanes in Gaza.

The pain and cries of the Palestinian people being ignored by the supposedly civilized nations of the world will not deter the struggle of the Palestinian people for their land and for their rights. There is a beautiful poem written by Palestinian poet, Dareen Tatour, who was convicted of terrorism and sentenced to five months imprisonment in 2018 for posting this poem on social media. The poem is titled ‘Resist, my people resist them’.

To understand the spirit of Palestinian resistance, in the face of immense brutality and global neglect, an excerpt from the poem is shared here: The poem goes as follows: “Resist, my people, resist them. In Jerusalem, I dressed my wounds and breathed my sorrows/ And carried the soul in my palm/ For an Arab Palestine. I will not succumb to the ‘peaceful solution’/ Never lower my flags/ Until I evict them from my land.

“I cast them aside for a coming time. Resist, my people, resist them. Resist the settler’s robbery/ And follow the caravan of martyrs. Shred the disgraceful constitution/ Which imposed degradation and humiliation/ And deterred us from restoring justice”.

The writer is founding partner of Mazari-Hazir Advocates & Legal Consultants.

Email: imaanmazarihazir@ gmail.com