A recent prescheduled trip led me to
Washington DC to lecture and
meet with some American officials and think-tanks. To my good fortune, the trip
coincided with His Majesty King Abdullah’s visit to the United States, together
with Her Majesty
Queen Rania and HRH Crown Prince Hussein.
اضافة اعلان
From what I saw from the pronouncements of officials and
researchers I met, the White House, and the articles published by celebrity
commentators in leading US papers, the Royal visit has achieved its objectives
with flying colors and His Majesty aced it on all fronts.
The carefully worded statements of the King sat very well with
interlocutors. “We want to share in the heavy-lifting as regional players”
scored perfectly and invoked positive responses. The King was not there to ask
the US administration to shoulder the responsibility of resolving all the
thorny issues in our beleaguered region; he wanted regional players to undertake
their responsibilities.
The current American administration is facing tough problems at
home, starting with the economy, heightened violence, a rise in COVID-19 cases
and casualties, and a stubborn lack of cooperation from the Republican Party. The
next midterm elections taking place in November 2022 will be a test that the
Biden Administration must pass. From the looks of it, that goal is not easily
tenable and will require devotion and hard work.
Moreover, the United States is now facing a more aggressive and
power-hungry rival in the People’s Republic of China. China does not shy away
from the challenge of competing with the US and will not allow its adversaries
to supplant it on the world stage.
When I checked with my discussion partners from the American Administration
about the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations’ low priority, I was
pleasantly surprised to be assured that such a statement is “over-exaggerated”.
The US highly appreciates the importance of reaching quiet and calm in the
region. Yet, they believe that on-the-ground preparations should be exerted
before it is time to engage in serious and fruitful negotiations.
Work is now being exerted to ensure that the current Israeli
government survives Netanyahu’s innuendos to regain power. Once the Israeli
Knesset passes the Public Budget Law, it will be considered solid proof that
the government will survive until the next fall.
Moreover, the Biden Administration is working to restructure the
image of the Palestinian Authority and improve its popularity. To achieve this
goal, President Mahmoud Abbas should strive for more transparency and
governance.
On the other side, the Israeli Prime Minister, who will be
visiting Washington in Mid-August, should be hard-pressed to relax inhuman
practices in the occupied Palestinian Territories, allow easier mobility and
freedom of worship, and stop raids and the ugly masquerades of the ultra-religious
in holy places such as the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Haram Al-Khalil in Hebron.
Once the two sides are ready and capable of engaging in serious
negotiations with end-game objectives clearly enunciated, the US Administration, the Arab Quartet, the Geneve Quartet, and other
international groups would be ready to step in to cushion and facilitate progress towards
a just, equal, and honorable two-state
solution.
All of these developments would have been untenable without King Abdullah’s resolve and deep commitment.
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