The Palestinian Authority and its leadership cannot continue to hold the Arab world hostage - by Mendi Safadi

The Palestinian issue has become more of a campaign to collect donations from the international community than a political issue involving disputed land and a so-called occupation. Numerous Palestinian leaders and organizations have made money off of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the suffering that it has caused to both peoples. Numerous international organizations have made millions off of this conflict, while in reality doing nothing except fostering hatred.

Mendi Safadi..
Israel Hayom..
27 August '20..
Link: https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/uae-israel-peace-deal-exposes-true-face-of-palestinian-authority/

Since the establishment of the country, all Israeli governments have pursued peace with its Arab neighbors. The late Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed a historic peace treaty with Egypt and the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signed a similar peace treaty with Jordan. The State of Israel is proud of both peace agreements and has sought to replicate these agreements with other Arab states. However, over the past decade, no one has pursued peace with the greater Arab world more aggressively than Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The establishment of peaceful relations with the United Arab Emirates surprised many people. However, at the same time, it revealed the true face of the Palestinian Authority. Instead of signing peace agreements, the PA encourages its citizens to attack Border Policemen in Jerusalem; glorifies the dispatching of incendiary balloons and Qassam rockets into the Israeli communities near Gaza, and systematically incites violence and terrorism.

In the same spirit, Palestinian leaders and PA media outlets have described UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed as a "traitor," "collaborator," and even a "tumor" for making peace with the State of Israel. Since 1993, the Palestinian Authority has rejected every peace offer that came their way. Simultaneously, they have actively attempted to maintain the Arab world's opposition toward Israel and have worked against other Muslim countries making peace with the Jewish state.

The Palestinian Authority and its leadership cannot continue to hold the Arab world hostage. The PA wants the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to continue and to take precedence over other things happening in the Middle East.


The Palestinian issue has become more of a campaign to collect donations from the international community than a political issue involving disputed land and a so-called occupation. Numerous Palestinian leaders and organizations have made money off of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the suffering that it has caused to both peoples. Numerous international organizations have made millions off of this conflict, while in reality doing nothing except fostering hatred. These organizations are anti-Semitic and hate Jews, always hiding under the Palestinian cause in order to promote bigotry via the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. Naturally, these international organizations are not interested in ending the conflict and continue to fund the Palestinians.

For this reason, the Palestinian Authority has a financial incentive to oppose peace, for the day that they become a state will be the day that the free handouts from their donors will end and they will have to build up an economy in order to finance their people.

The Arab countries in the Persian Gulf have also now seen the true face of the Palestinian Authority. After they invested heavily in the Palestinian cause, they have watched the PA support Iran and Qatar against their strategic interests.

Nevertheless, the leaders of the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf have not betrayed the Palestinian people. On the contrary, the United Arab Emirates secured from Israel the concession of the Jewish state halting the application of Israeli sovereignty over 30% of Judea and Samaria. However, this did not stop the Palestinian Authority from attacking the UAE, even before they had a chance to examine the details of the agreement.

The Palestinian response was reckless and hasty, which greatly damaged how the international community views them. It would have been more prudent for PA President Mahmoud Abbas or one of his ministers to travel to Abu Dhabi in order to clarify matters, before slandering the UAE in front of the entire Arab world and the international community.

Nevertheless, PA policy has always been guided based upon hatred, not based upon logic and reason. For this reason, they opposed the UAE-Israel peace agreement before reading it, just as they opposed the Deal of the Century before Trump even issued it to the public.

Mendi Safadi, head of the Safadi Center for International Diplomacy, Research, Human Rights and Public Relations, is a lecturer on Islamic affairs, terrorism, and the Middle East. Previously, he was chief of staff in the Office of the Deputy Minister for Development of the Negev and Galilee and Regional Cooperation, and served as a liaison between Israeli officials and the Syrian opposition.

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