New Palestinian Peace Plan May Succeed, Despite Palestinian Leadership

On January 28, the White House, at a meeting both with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu and his domestic political opponent Lt. General Benny Gantz, introduced the most comprehensive proposal for peace between the Jewish State and the Palestinian people in a two-state solution,

The “Peace to Prosperity” concept differs from its predecessors in that in provides significant expanded territory for the Palestinians, as well as links between Gaza and the West Bank, and a capital in a portion of Jerusalem. Geography, however, may be the lesser of the difficulties in getting a Palestinian agreement. Gaza is controlled by the terrorist organization Hamas, which at this point continues to oppose any compromise with Israel, a state the group does not even recognize as having the right to exist. The refusal of the Palestinian leadership, at times widely seen as corrupt, to compromise in the past has caused considerable suffering to their people. In 2008, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas rejected a plan for sovereignty. Yassar Arafat refused to sign on to the Camp David accords in the 1970s which also would have fulfilled most his people’s goals.

The Arab news service Al Jazeera cited a number of Palestinians sharply rejecting the concept, terming it a “New Balfour Declaration,” a reference to the a public statement issued by the British government in announcing support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people.” There have several past attempts at a settlement that would have given the Palestinians most of what they sought, only to be ultimately rejected by the Palestinian leadership. The current proposal notes that “For nearly a century, international leaders, diplomats, and scholars have debated the issues and attempted to resolve this conflict…Over the decades, many proposals and ideas have been put forward, but elements of those plans were unachievable given the realities on the ground and in the broader Middle East. “ The proposal then goes on to explain that “The world has changed greatly during this period, as have the security challenges facing the Middle East…” There is a great deal behind that observation. The proposal reiterates that .” The State of Israel has made peace with two of its neighbors. It made peace with the Arab Republic of Egypt in 1979 and it made peace with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1994, two countries with which the State of Israel had fought multiple wars and numerous border skirmishes. The State of Israel has also exchanged sizeable territories for the sake of peace, as it did when it withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula in exchange for peace with the Arab Republic of Egypt. “ Just six months into his administration, President Trump and the Saudis significantly improved U.S. relations with the wealthiest Arab state. Overriding all other considerations for Middle Eastern nations is the fear of Iranian expansionism. Israel may not be liked, but it is seen as something of a bulwark against Iran’s aggression.

The economics of this latest plan make it one that would be truly embarrassing for the Palestinian leadership to reject, considering the hardships currently endured in both the West Bank and Gaza. Under the proposal, billions of dollars of investment in the electricity, water, and telecommunications sectors, increasing generation capacity would be facilitated, while creating efficient transmission and distribution networks. The plan also calls for, following the adoption of key policy reforms and the construction of essential infrastructure, extraordinary private-sector investment in entrepreneurship, small businesses, tourism, agriculture, housing, manufacturing, and natural resources. The goal of early-stage investment will be to remove constraints to growth and to target key projects that build momentum, generate jobs, and increase gross domestic product.

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Illustration: Palestinian flag (Pixabay)

Quick Analysis

Russia Expanding Aggression

President Putin is using more than one pathway to enter Europe and undermine the West. While most of the world watches the conflict he initiated in Ukraine, the Russian government is actively pursuing a second front in a little noticed campaign in Cyprus. Although the corrupt Cypriot government ended its issuance of “golden passports” in 2020, Russian intelligence is functioning quietly there to transform this EU country into a Russian beachhead of illicit economic activity aimed at penetrating the capitalist West, according to Paul Goble of the Jamestown Foundation. Cyprus is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nor does it receive as much attention as those countries who are member states. That adds to its allure as a prime location for Russia to attempt to gain a European foothold. Last week a NATO report, cited in the European Daily Monitor, noted that Russian intelligence agents have been plotting to destroy European infrastructure across the continent to disrupt states supporting Ukraine. It further suggests that Putin’s immediate goal is to lay the framework for a future move against the security organization’s members. Hungary, in particular, is another country garnering Moscow’s attention as it opposes the Western response to Russian aggression. Russia is focusing its intelligence efforts on other European, non-NATO member countries in addition to Cyprus, including Austria, Malta, and Ireland. The NATO report suggests that Moscow has had success in disseminating the Russian political narrative in these states to advance its campaign against the West. The island of Cyprus is proving to be a good target for Moscow as it is an ethnically divided island that is part of the EU since 2004. Northern Cyprus, officially called the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that is only recognized by Turkey. The division precludes it from joining NATO. As Goble suggests, “it offers Russia troubled waters in which to fish.” Over the last 20 years, he points out, Cyprus’ challenges have opened it to a massive influx of Russian citizens, who now comprise approximately 10 percent of the island state’s population. Over 2,900 residents are Russians who entered until the “golden passport” program that allowed wealthy or well-connected Russians to move to Cyprus. It also provided them with documentation to travel freely throughout Europe! Although less visible on the world’s radar than the war in Ukraine, Moscow is also being helped by Cyprus’ banks opposition to seizing Russian assets and its support in evading Western sanctions. Russia has placed tens of billions of US Dollars there for money laundering. It has been more than two years since a single Russian “diplomat” has been deported and, in fact, the Embassy has grown to over 300 staffers on this tiny island state of only 1.2 million people. The Russian embassy in Nicosia has advanced communications antennae on its roof and opened a consulate on the northern end of the island. Moscow’s Ambassador, Mura Zyazikov, is a lieutenant general in the FSB with no diplomatic experience. The FSB, SVR (Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service), and GRU are actively using the island as a base of operations against NATO Member states, Israel, and other Western allies. Moscow backs pro-Russian political parties who in turn influence Cypriot decisions on education, language, and other issues. “Dmitry Khmelnitsky of the Dossier Center says that its findings should be of concern not only to Cyprus but to the West as a whole. Those who ignore what Moscow is doing because Cyprus does not follow the EU sanctions regime are missing something critical,” says Goble. “Cyprus does not seek to get rid of Russian agents and does not interfere with their work,” Khmelnitsky concludes, “despite the fact that what the Kremlin is doing is so clearly visible.” This has an impact not only on the small island but on the EU, NATO, and the West in general. Earlier this year the Moscow Times reported that when the FBI became more interested in Russian business and oligarchs in Cyprus, at least 10 of the major Russian businesses operating there left. Despite the government of Cyprus’ vow to implement plans for new sanctions against Russia, it continues to ignore Putin’s atrocities in Ukraine and to shield the wealth of the 50,000 wealthy Russian citizens and oligarchs residing there. Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept. Illustration: Pixabay