Palestinians seek to replace US sponsorship of Palestinian-Israeli talks: sources

The Palestinian leadership is seriously mulling over practical steps of reviving the suspended political process to find a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by bringing in an alternative sponsor to the US, according to official sources and analysts. 

The move comes after US President Joe Biden's latest visit to the region, which strikingly ignored the Palestinian issue despite the significant increase in settlement activities and Israeli violations.

On Friday,  Biden arrived in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem for a brief three-hour visit to meet his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas, after he conducted a 40-hour visit to Israel meeting with Israeli officials.

"I am still committed to the goal of achieving the two-state solution on the 1967 borders (...) but I think it is currently unattainable," the US president had said in a joint press conference with Abbas. 

"The chances of a two-state solution to end the conflict, which was adopted by the international community including the US, are receding and the opportunity to achieve this important goal may not remain for more time," Abbas said in response. 

Palestinians will gain nothing from Biden’s visit: analystshttps://t.co/E9QgeLS0AQ

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) July 14, 2022

"President Abbas was disappointed with the results of Biden's visit, mainly as he expected that the US president would make progress in the peace process," an official source close to the Palestinian presidency, who preferred to be unnamed,  said to The New Arab. 

During the US election campaign, the source said, Biden promised to contribute to resolving our ongoing conflict with Israel based on international laws. But so far, he has failed to implement any of the pledges.

"In fact," the source added, "Biden lost Palestinians' trust that he might pressure Israel to accept reviving the peace process with them."

The Palestinian leadership seeks to hold several meetings with international bodies as well as powerful countries to urge them to actively sponsor political solutions regarding the conflict with the Israeli occupation, according to the source. 

"So far, China is the best candidate that would make a breakthrough on this complicated file, especially as it enjoys global economic and political power and has friendly relationships with both the Palestinians and the Israelis," the source noted. 

In addition, China has considerably expanded its diplomatic relationships with most Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, and other states, based on the principle of mutual economic benefit.

For years, the Palestinian political leadership had placed much weight on a two-state solution to establish their independent State of Palestine along the 1967 borders. 

However, various Israeli governments have refused to continue the negotiations with the Palestinians since 2014.

Speaking to The New Arab, several Palestinian political analysts believe it is a crucial time for Palestinian Authority President Abbas and other Palestinian decision makers to bring in other countries to sponsor the political process with the Israelis, noting that Biden's policy will not change from his predecessors.

"Biden does not make decisions, but he implements US policy towards the world, especially the Middle East based on Israel's interest," the analysts argued. 

"Biden deliberately ignored the Palestinian issue while trying to provide money to the Palestinians as a form of political blackmail based on money in exchange for politics," Mohammed Hijazi, a Gaza-based analyst, said. He further stressed that the Palestinians want to obtain their legitimate rights first and then solve any economic challenges.

"I think we have to resort to another superpower country that adopts international and humanitarian laws in its foreign policy dealings with countries, to be an alternative to the US in sponsoring the peace process in the region," Hijazi added. 

Hegazi also noted that the Palestinians are looking toward China to mediate negotiations because "it does not seek to achieve colonial or monopolistic ambitions through its relations with the countries of the world".

For his part, Hani al-Masri, a Ramallah-based political analyst, believes that the friendly relations between China and most countries in the Middle East will contribute to reviving the peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis.

"If the US continues to be the sole sponsor of the peace process, this will contribute to ending the Palestinian issue, especially since it has succeeded in strengthening Israel's relations with Arab countries by expanding the circle of normalisation with them,"  he said 

"We are living at a historical turning point, and it is important for the Palestinians to speed up the implementation of practical political measures that would bring the Palestinian cause back to the fore again," al-Masri added.