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Another Palestine: 5 Hebron residents propose breakaway emirate, stir outrage
A group of five prominent sheikhs in the West Bank's Hebron district sent a letter to the Israeli authorities expressing their desire to join the Abraham Accords as a separate emirate and have peace with Israel.
The letter was addressed to Economy Minister Nir Barkat, in which they expressed their desire to break off from the Palestinian Authority and establish Hebron as an emirate. The sheikhs assured that they would 'recognise [s] the State of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people.'
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In return, they demanded that the 'State of Israel shall recognise the Emirate of Hebron as the Representative of the Arab residents in the Hebron District.' The sheikhs of Herbon argued that the proposed arrangement was 'fair and recent'. They suggested replacing the Oslo Accords, which they believed 'only brought damage, death, economic disaster and destruction.'
While speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Barkat noted that the letter indicated that the old two-state paradigm has failed, and that the Palestinian Authority is not trusted among its people and in Israel.
In the explosive report, the American news outlet also revealed that Barkat hosted Sheikh Wadee' al-Jaabari — one of the most influential Hebron clan leaders and the spearhead of the initiative — and other sheikhs at his home in Jerusalem for dozens of meetings since February.
'Sheikh Jaabari wants peace with Israel and to join the Abraham Accords, with the support of his fellow sheikhs. Who in Israel is going to say no?' Barkat said. 'There will be no Palestinian state—not even in 1,000 years,' Jaabari tells the newspaper. 'After October 7, Israel will not give it.'
It is pertinent to note that Jaabari has long condemned the PA and backed greater cooperation with Israeli settlers. However, he has remained a marginalised figure in Palestinian politics. This can be reflected by the fact that Herbon residents are not in favour of this arrangement.
The idea is not popular among residents
Local residents and community leaders have strongly rejected the initiative, stating it does not represent Hebron's population or political will.
Haaretz quoted extended family members as saying that the proposal is part of a long-running, unsuccessful attempt to create an alternative leadership in Hebron.
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Hence, the announcement has sparked a heated debate about political representation and the future governance of Palestinian territories amid ongoing conflict and negotiations. In the past, Israel often suggested that with a majority of Arab Palestinians living in Jordan, there's already a State of Palestine there in West Asia.
What is Israel's take on the matter?
Interestingly, the idea faced intense opposition from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), The Jerusalem Post reported. While the Israeli security agency is not satisfied with the PA's fight against Palestinian terror, it still sees it as the only body that can assist Israel in curbing terror across the entire West Bank.
Israeli officials emphasised that the PA has as many as 70,000 soldier-officers, including a smaller group of commandos. Hence, it is not an easy body to replace. The officials also noted that there are around 4,000 PA officers in Hebron, along with 200 commandos.
Throughout the years, PA has shared intelligence with the Shin Bet, helping them to capture at least some Palestinian terrorists, especially Hamas. PA's motivation to share info regarding Hamas is to weaken the Palestinian group in Gaza, so that it can make a space for itself in the coastal enclave.
The IDF has similar opposition to the idea, also counting on the PA for security cooperation, The Jerusalem Post reported. Experts believe that Shin Bet and IDF prefer the enemy they know to the one they don't. They worry that a loose confederation of emirates in the West Bank would be hard to manage and could lead to an unpredictable Palestinian civil war.
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