Good news for Palestinians?

Op-ed: Mubarak’s fall may finally prompt Palestinians to take their fate in their own hands

Moshe Elad|Published: 02.24.11 , 18:08

Part 1 of article

There is no need to be an “Arab affairs expert” these days in order to interpret what’s happening in the “new” Middle East. It would suffice to look at satellite images to recognize some insights that on normal days may have evaded us. The crisis in Egypt, for example, may actually have a positive effect because after Mubarak’s fall the Palestinians may finally start to make their own decisions.

We must keep in mind that the lack of autonomy in determining its political fate was and still is one of the prominent characteristics of the Arab public in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This public traditionally tended to adopt a political position of one kind of another that was acceptable to an influential Arab element, mostly Egypt, with local residents not constituting a decisive element in defining their own political future.

The Palestinians’ efforts to fight for their national objectives on their own have failed thus far. These failures encouraged the tendency of this public to increasingly rely on outside Arab powers, to the point of fully allowing these external elements to determine the political destiny of the Palestinians. Mahmoud Abbas and his people may now realize that only through direct, open negotiations – without a sponsor – they can perhaps achieve their aims. This will mark their true independence.

Extreme scenario materialized

And it was not only Egypt that surprised us. “Arab affairs experts” and other types of commentators have been terrifying us for some 25 years now with the declaration that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the focal point of the expected Mideastern earthquake. “The window of opportunity is closing” became a threatening expression, warning us that we must quickly sign a peace deal with Abbas, as the Mideast is simmering and we may end up facing a broad, threatening Arab front.

Well, in the past month we had seen the extreme scenario materializing right before our eyes: Egypt, Iran, Yemen, Tunisia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Morocco and Libya are “burning,” but not because of the irresolvable conflict with the Palestinians. Before our eyes we see the emergence of a “new Middle East” where basic human rights are violated, mercenaries are unleashed against the protesting masses, Internet and television services are blocked, and rivers of blood are being spilled.

Yet you can relax. All of this is not happening because of us.

Part 2 of article to be published Thursday evening

Moshe Elad is a national security studies lecturer at the Western Galilee Academic College. In the past, he held several senior posts in the “territories.”