Israel's West Bank ‘emirate' gambit reveals its desperation
Israel is aggressively implementing plans to shape Palestine's future and that of the broader region, sculpting its vision for the 'day after' its genocide in Gaza. The latest bizarre iteration of this strategy proposes fragmenting the West Bank into so-called emirates, starting with the 'Emirate of Hebron.'
This unexpected twist in Israel's protracted search for alternative Palestinian leadership first surfaced in the staunchly pro-Israel US newspaper The Wall Street Journal. It then quickly came to dominate all Israeli media.
The report details a letter from a person identified by the newspaper as 'the leader of Hebron's most influential clan.' Addressed to Economy Minister Nir Barakat, Jerusalem's former Israeli mayor, the letter from Sheikh Wadee Al-Jaabari appeals for 'cooperation with Israel' in the name of 'coexistence.'
This 'coexistence,' according to the 'clan leader,' would materialize in the 'Emirate of Hebron,' which would 'recognize the state of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people,' in exchange for reciprocal recognition of the 'Emirate of Hebron as the representative of the Arab residents in the Hebron district.'
The story may seem perplexing. This is because Palestinian discourse, regardless of geography or political affiliation, has never entertained such an absurd concept as united West Bank 'emirates.'
Another element of absurdity is that Palestinian national identity and pride in their people's unwavering resilience, especially in Gaza, are at an unprecedented apex. To float such clan-based alternatives to legitimate Palestinian leadership seems ill-conceived and is destined to fail.
Israel's desperation is palpable. In Gaza, it cannot defeat Hamas and other Palestinian factions that have resisted the Israeli takeover of the Strip for 21 months. All attempts to engineer an alternative Palestinian leadership there have collapsed.
This failure has compelled Israel to arm and fund a criminal gang that operated in Gaza before Oct. 7, 2023. This gang functions under the command of Yasser Abu Shabab. It has been implicated in a litany of violent activities. These include hijacking humanitarian aid to perpetuate famine in Gaza and orchestrating violence associated with aid distribution, among other egregious crimes.
Like the clan in Hebron, Abu Shabab's criminal gang possesses no legitimacy and no public support among Palestinians. Why would Israel resort to such disreputable figures when the Palestinian Authority, already engaged in 'security coordination' with it in the West Bank, is ostensibly willing to comply?
The answer lies in the current extremist Israeli government's adamant refusal to acknowledge Palestine as a nation. Thus, even a collaborating Palestinian nationalist entity is deemed problematic from an Israeli perspective.
While Benjamin Netanyahu's government is not the first Israeli leadership to explore clan-based alternatives among Palestinians, the prime minister and his extremist allies are exceptionally determined to dismantle any Palestinian claim to nationhood. This was explicitly stated by extremist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. He famously declared in Paris, in March 2023, that a Palestinian nation is an 'invention.'
Thus, despite the PA's willingness to cooperate with Israel in controlling Gaza, Israel remains apprehensive. Empowering the PA as a nationalist model fundamentally contravenes Israel's overarching objective of denying the Palestinian people their claim to nationhood and, consequently, statehood and sovereignty.
Though Israel has consistently failed to establish and sustain its own alternative Palestinian leadership, its repeated efforts have invariably proven disruptive and violent.
Prior to the Nakba of 1948, the Zionist movement, alongside the British authorities colonizing Palestine, heavily invested in undermining the Arab Higher Committee, a nationalist body comprising several political parties. They achieved this by empowering collaborating clans, hoping to dilute the Palestinian nationalist movement.
When Israel occupied the remainder of historic Palestine in 1967, it reverted to the same divide-and-conquer tactics. For instance, it established a Palestinian police force directly commanded by Israeli military administrations, in addition to creating an underground network of collaborators.
Following the overwhelming victory of nationalist candidates in the 1976 elections in the West Bank, Israel cracked down on Palestine Liberation Organization-affiliated politicians, arresting, deporting and assassinating some.
Two years later, in 1978, it launched its 'Village Leagues' project. It hand-picked compliant traditional figures, designating them as the legitimate representatives of Palestinians. These individuals, armed, protected and financed by the Israeli occupation army, were positioned to represent their respective clans in Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Gaza and elsewhere. Palestinians immediately denounced them as collaborators. They were widely boycotted and socially ostracized.
Netanyahu and his extremist allies are exceptionally determined to dismantle any Palestinian claim to nationhood.
Dr. Ramzy Baroud
Eventually, it became evident that Israel had no alternative but to engage directly with the PLO. This culminated in the Oslo Accords in 1993 and the subsequent formation of the PA. However, the fundamental problem persisted: the PA's insistence on a Palestinian state remains anathema to an Israel that has shifted dramatically to the right.
This explains the Netanyahu government's unwavering insistence that the PA has no role in Gaza in any day-after scenario. While the PA could serve Israel's interest in containing the rebellious Strip, such a triumph would inevitably recenter the discussion of a Palestinian state — a concept repugnant to most Israelis.
There is no doubt that neither the Abu Shabab gang nor the Hebron emirate will govern Palestinians, either in Gaza or the West Bank. Israel's insistence on fabricating such alternatives underscores its historic determination to deny Palestinians any sense of nationhood.
Israel's persistent fantasies of control invariably fail. Despite their profound wounds, Palestinians are more unified than ever — their collective identity and nationhood hardened by relentless resistance and countless sacrifices.
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