PA intransigence

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh was firm in his resolve on Tuesday. Speaking to members of the Foreign Press Association in Ramallah in an effort to disseminate the Palestinian point of view to the world on Israel’s upcoming plans to declare sovereignty over undisclosed areas of the West Bank, he announced that “annexation is the erosion of a future Palestinian state,” and called Israeli annexation “an existential threat to our future.”

It’s the same, predictable message that the Palestinians have been parroting since the concept of a unilateral annexation by Israel emerged with the publication of the Trump peace plan in January, which followed years of protracted stasis between Israel and the PA surrounding a negotiated settlement to the disputed territories that have been in Israel’s hands since 1967.

His statements came days after crowds of Israelis and Palestinians gathered in Tel Aviv and Ramallah, respectively, to rally against the Israeli plans, which could vary anywhere from annexing large settlement blocs in Area C like Ma’aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion or strategic areas like the Jordan Valley, to a more sweeping annexation of all settlements and surrounding areas in the West Bank.

Many of those who gathered in Tel Aviv were likely not demonstrating against the national consensus that those heavy Jewish population areas of Area C will become part of Israel in a negotiated deal on two states with the Palestinians – they were protesting the unilateral aspect of the prospective move, which will create facts on the ground, create a stateless category for thousands of Palestinians surrounding those annexed areas and make the already remote likelihood that Israel and the PA can come to terms over a two-state solution that much more difficult.

However, the Palestinian protesters and the government in Ramallah aren’t concerning themselves with nuances and terms like “unilateral” or “negotiated.” There has never been a serious indication from the Palestinian side that it is willing to accept anything beyond a return to the pre-1967 war lines, meaning the nonstarter premise for Israel of dismantling dozens of cities, towns and settlements and relocating hundreds of thousands of Israelis.

The Palestinians’ insistence at choosing to ignore the last 53 years of reality, which for better or worse, has seen massive Israeli settlement in the disputed areas that it won in the Six Day War, is the crux of the problem that the region faces and which has led to the unfortunate scenario of unilateral annexation.

There is no turning back on what has been done, but that hasn’t been internalized by the Palestinian leadership, which instead of stepping up to the table and fighting for a state of their own, have chosen to bury their heads in the ground and hope that the international community will come to their rescue. They continue, still today, to play a waiting game.

That approach is what led to the surreal image of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump proudly unveiling the peace plan in January without the presence of the other side, the Palestinians.

“If you ask Palestinians, ‘What do you want?’ Some will tell you two states, some will tell you one,” Shtayyeh said this week. “Maybe... there are different points of view. But there is no difference on point of view when it comes to one single thing: end of occupation. That is what the people want.”

In order to achieve their goal, however, the Palestinians are not doing themselves any favors by standing aside as Israel readies its annexation plans.

Now is the time for the Palestinians to do something about it. One way or another, Ma’aleh Adumim, Gush Etzion and Ariel are going to become a sovereign part of Israel, whether through unilateral annexation or negotiations toward a two-state solution.

It behooves the Palestinians to find a way – with the help of European friends or whoever else can serve as a broker – to sit down with Israel and the US to work to ensure that the second approach is the one that is implemented.

It’s not too late, but the annexation train is pulling out of the station at an increasing speed. If the Palestinians, with the support of many Israelis who are against a unilateral move, are not able to change its course, they will – once again – only have themselves to blame.