One of the privileges of life is knowing where you are from and having the ability to be proud of that. To have a sense of family that, related to you or not, is strong and unified. While that might be a glorified definition of nationality, it is something that most of us have always had and never needed to question.
It’s no surprise though, that around the world, there are exceptions. Peace and prosperity give way to war and conflict. When you’re fighting for something you believe in, no matter what anyone else says, giving up is not an option.
Throughout history, religion has been the spark that ignited tense relationships and let them burn into some of the most well-known conflicts of today.
What we know today as the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, began in 1948, though there were tensions before then. The conflicts are over the rights to the holy land, which is the city of Jerusalem itself. It has become a point of increased tension, particularly after being named the capital of Israel in December of 2017, by United States President, Donald Trump.
A month ago, on August 13th, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to normalize their relationship with Israel in hopes to build a better relationship. While this is seen as a move in the direction of peace, it creates pressure that singles out the group of people with very little global support or any real political voice: the Palestinians.
Historically, Arab nations, like the UAE, have supported Palestine and their independence while recognizing them as individual people within the State of Israel.
However, in today’s world, there is much more at stake than just Palestinian integrity and independence. Despite past strains between Israel and the UAE, they have similar goals, particularly when it comes to national security. Both nations view Iran as a security risk and are bellicose towards political Islam, which is the use of Islam and it’s laws to define a political identity and hold their standards of society to a particular understanding of Islam. The UAE and Israel are, for the most part, in agreement when it comes to security, as well as the democratization of the Middle East.
Additionally, Bahrain is also suffering from a declining economy that has only been maintained to the level it is at due to tremendous government spending. In order to return to the status of economic freedom it once maintained, the nation needs to develop and pursue new policies that will improve tourism and investment. They hope to achieve that by cooperating with Israel.
Bahrain, the UAE, Israel, and the United States are all set to officially sign the Abraham Accords on Tuesday, September 15th, 2020, at the White House.
However, Bahrain and the UAE have not forgotten the Palestinians. While not an official priority, both nations hope that the signing of the Abraham Accords will slow or stop the Israeli annexation of the West Bank, a Palestinian territory and point of high tensions. While potentially stopping the annexation of the West Bank, this agreement also improves Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, standing. This presents him as somewhat of a savior hoping to guide Israel towards regional peace. In the last year and a half, Israel has undergone three rounds of elections, putting excessive pressure on the people and their government, as well as subjecting them to global scrutiny. Israel was facing a potential fourth election before the agreements with the UAE and Bahrain were made.
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict has gone on for 72 years and with little improvement and no agreements to end the conflict have been approved by both peoples. Countries in the Gulf have grown impatient. They hope to build peace and prevent any recession into aggression and violence as a means to resolve territorial bounds.
But with the threat of annexation and now normalization of their situation, the pressure on Palestinians to make themselves heard is greater than ever. There is a fear that the Palestinian Authority (PA) may decide to dissolve itself. The PA was formed as a step towards Palestinian sovereignty and without them, Israel would be responsible for maintaining security over Palestinians. This could lead to extreme tensions, which would only exacerbate the issue.
There have been numerous protests already by Palestinians and others against the normalization agreements. In Gaza, a territory controlled by the militant group, Hamas, protestors burned images of American, Bahraini, and Israeli officials, including President Trump and the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. The Abraham Accords have led the Palestinian President and Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, to be in agreement with his rival, Hamas, against all normalization. These agreements are not seen as a step towards peace by them, but as a step towards the dissolution of the hope for a Palestinian state.
