After Manama: Failed propaganda and the consolidation of authoritarian powers

Professor Jamil Khader

Most pundits and commentators agree that the US-sponsored “Peace to Prosperity” workshop, which was organised by the most ardent pro-Israel partisans of US President Donald Trump’s administration in Manama, Bahrain in June, miserably failed in its effort to liquidate the Palestinian struggle for freedom and national sovereignty once and for all. A month later, the Israeli and the US regimes are scrambling to offset some of the damage to their arrogant imperial and colonial policies.

The Israeli and US regimes are following a two-fold strategy: First, they are waging another round of propaganda war to sow more divisions and discontent among different Arab nationals and sway Arab and Palestinian public opinion on normalisation, peace, and US foreign policy.

Second, they are not simply extending and expanding Israel’s ethnocratic, Zionist, settler-colonial project and apartheid regime, but more importantly are realigning authoritarian and reactionary powers in the Middle East (Israel-Saudi Arabia-Turkey) with the rising power of far-right populist and nationalist governments around the world, in the service of US interests and empire. This includes the recent US efforts to court the Palestinians and re-integrate the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its leadership into the orbit of US imperial power.

Manama flop

The “Peace to Prosperity” workshop was convened under the assumption that the Palestinians no longer matter in the new geopolitical map of the Middle East and the emergent struggles between the superpowers in the region. Indeed, the US gambit was that any permanent solution to the ethnocratic Zionist settler-colonial project in Palestine can be reached not only without the participation of the Palestinians, but also with their complete and willing surrender.

In Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon’s, absurd Orwellian terms, surrender is good since it simply means parity in the decision-making process that will bring about peace, which in the lexicon of Big Brother means reinforcing the status quo and forever legitimising the ethnocratic Zionist settler-colonial project in Palestine.

Fortunately, the international community still considers the Palestinian struggle for freedom an important global political cause and a human rights issue that should be resolved within existing frameworks of international legal agreements and accords.

More importantly, the international community made it clear that it will not ungrudgingly continue to finance the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, along with its ethnocratic Zionist settler-colonial project and apartheid regime. On the one hand, the ethnocratic Zionist settler-colonial project and military occupation is so anachronistic in its modes of domination and oppression that it has become an unacceptable anomaly in the structures of surveillance capitalism and authoritarian regimes around the world.

On the other, the absence of any real political solution in the embarrassing US plan hinted that the Israeli military occupation will more likely be the real beneficiary of more than half of the $50 billion that were earmarked for development funds in Palestine. Israel will probably have oversight of these funds and will likely funnel most of them to its coffers, the way that international funds are currently managed and controlled.

Needless to say, the Trump administration pledged no contributions to this scheme. The US government already provides billions of hard-earned tax dollars in aid to Israel that any additional aid funds may raise concerns about Trump’s economic-nationalist ideology among his alt-right and white supremacist supporters.

Pitching normalisation: Poster boys for peace

No sooner had the Manama workshop ended than the Israeli “hasbara” (propaganda) machinery and its US counterpart started desperately reorganising their media campaigns in the Arab world in order to turn Arabs against each other and shape public opinion in favour of the US vision of prosperity and happiness in the Middle East.

For their part, the Israeli foreign ministry invited a small delegation of Arab bloggers and influencers, or “journalists and media personalities,” according to the ministry, to visit Israel, meet with different Israeli leaders – including radical far-right Islamophobic activists hell-bent on the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque – and to learn more about diversity and multiculturalism in Israel.

The Israeli agenda was to use these poster boys for peace to encourage the Arab public to visit Israel and forge ties between their countries and Israel. However, this blatant attempt at pitching normalisation and whitewashing Israeli violations of international human rights law hugely backfired.

The video of alleged Saudi journalist Mohammad Saud, who was verbally heckled and physically attacked by Palestinians as he walked through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem and driven out of Al-Aqsa Mosque, went viral and poked holes in the Israeli hasbara narrative about normalisation.

First, Mr. Saud, like the rest of the bloggers and media personalities on this visit, is completely unknown to the Arab public. He studies law and lives in the United States and, as some Saudi activists pointed out, has not been back to Saudi Arabia for many years.

The Federation of Arab Journalists also denied that these journalists were members of the federation or any of its affiliated organisations. The federation also confirmed its opposition to all forms of normalisation with “the Zionist enemy” and pledged support for the full liberation of Palestine and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Second, various Saudi commentators and media personalities were puzzled by Mr. Saud’s insistence on dressing in traditional Saudi dress and bisht (cloak). Not only is the bisht a special cultural signifier usually used to mark a high-class position and exceptional occasions, it immediately exposed him to the Palestinian public who had already been warned about these visits. Mr. Saud could have truly been unconcerned about his public reception, but the bisht was a deliberate attempt to provoke a visceral reaction and drive a wedge between the Palestinian and Saudi public spheres.

This does not mean that there are no Saudi and other Arab influencers and media personalities who have been calling for normalisation with Israel and who have been blaming the Palestinians for the rift between “our cousins the Jews” and the Arab world. They exist and Israel needs them more desperately than ever for two main reasons.

First, the Israeli regime needs these influencers to divide the Palestinians from other Arabs, or the Arab street, which is already alienated from their governments and corridors of power. Indeed, some Saudi commentators have already lashed out at Palestinians, claiming that Palestinians’ “hatred and rejection of [Saudis] is greater than that of the Israelis”.

In an even more fundamental way, Israel needs them to resolve many of the contradictions that have cracked the edifice of the Israeli ethnocratic, illiberal “democracy”, especially the contradiction between religion and secularism in the Jewish state. In particular, they need them to confirm their belief in its foundational biblical myths, which the Israelis have taken for granted as the basis for their “rightful deed” to the land of Palestine over the last century. In the last few decades, however, these biblical myths have been debunked and thrown out by none other than Zionist and Israeli archaeologists and historians themselves.

Some argue that most Israelis are secular but still believe that God promised them Palestine.  However, as Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek points out, belief is reflexive and we always need others to believe for us, so we can continue doing what we do. Muslim influencers, who recycle medieval Quranic exegeses that are mostly based on Talmudic (“Israelite”) texts, are urgently needed so that the Israeli public can continue believing that they are the rightful owners of Palestine.

Nonetheless, Palestinian anger over the visit of these unknown diasporic influencers is misplaced. The truth is that many (semi-)official delegations from the Arab world, artists, and Muslim religious tourists from Turkey and Europe can be seen in Jerusalem and other Palestinian towns on a daily basis. It is thus unclear how these groups fit into this debate about normalisation.

Mr. Saud, in particular, seems to have been a convenient target of Palestinian discontent, but he should not have been used as a proxy for the role of the Saudi government in the “deal of the century”. Indeed, there are bigger fish to fry here. The individual bad apples should not obfuscate the systematic and institutional normalisation efforts in which some Arab countries have publically and privately engaged, in the name of their concerns over Iran and the rise of the Shia power bloc.

False promises of prosperity and happiness

On their part, the Americans led by the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his team have been reported to use opinion mining operations to pitch the “deal of the century” directly to the Arab people, sway Arab media in favour of the administration’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East peace process, and improve Arab peoples’ understanding of the administration’s policy. They are upping the ante on the Foreign Broadcast Information Service by using data mining operations to target Arab public opinion and “connect with local populations as effectively as possible – to better understand ‘what’s driving the street’ across the Arab world.”

According to the report, Kushner’s team analysed anti-American and anti-Israel media outlets, the negative and positive terms used to characterise US foreign policy, and even analysed cell phone penetration among Palestinians to understand news consumption at Israeli checkpoints. Part of the effort is to drive a wider wedge between the Palestinian street and Palestinian leadership. One senior aide to Kushner was quoted in the report to the effect that “we believe we can reach the [Palestinian people] people this way […] the street has been abandoned by the leadership.”

The real intention of Kushner’s media project, however, is more pernicious. As we learned from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, their goal is more likely to construct psychological profiles for a vast number of Arabs and Palestinians and use these profiles to target these individuals with specific messages that appeal to their psychological profiles about peace, US foreign policy, the PA, the Zionist settler-colonial project, etc.

Grounded in the principles of positive psychology and happiness studies, which developed, as Zizek points out, in collaboration with the cognitive-military complex, the premise of Kushner’s plan is that “individuals are much better controlled and ‘nudged’ in the desired direction when they continue to experience themselves as the free and autonomous agents of their own life”.

Unsurprisingly, Kushner’s team wants us to believe that although “90% of Palestinians distrust the administration,” there was still a positive shift in Palestinian public opinion regarding the economic portion of their “Peace to Prosperity” plan. They truly believed that the Palestinians were going to fall for their promises of utopia without any limits – prosperity, happiness, no unemployment and no poverty, even though the funds were not secured.

Nonetheless, Kushner’s attempt to manipulate Arabs and Palestinians into buying into their narrative and shaping the choices they make with regard to their well-being and happiness to fit the interests of the US and the Israeli regimes simply did not work. His team realised soon enough that despite his marketing plan to sell rosy promises of prosperity and happiness, he could not buy the Palestinians off. The resounding message he got from the Palestinian street and Palestinian leadership was that “Palestine is not for sale”.

Kushner does not understand the paradox in his plan. The main problem here is that the new mechanisms of social control they are using contradict the anachronistic modes of oppression and domination of the Israeli military occupation and its apartheid politics. In the words of various critics of the plan, prosperity cannot be achieved when the structural conditions (the Israeli military occupation, the apartheid regime, and the Zionist settler-colonial project) that inhibit prosperity are still in place.

Regrouping authoritarian and reactionary powers

In addition to their media campaigns, the Americans are realigning authoritarian and reactionary powers in the region with the far right populist and nationalist regimes around the world to serve the interests of the US empire in its prospective struggles with various superpowers in the region.

At one level, critics are correct to point out that the Manama workshop was meant as a distraction from the ongoing Nakba that continues to happen under the radar in Palestine. Israel’s recent demolition of 16 residential buildings in Wadi Al-Hummus neighbourhood in the Palestinian village of Sur Baher was condemned as another war crime and a “blatant act of ethnic cleansing.”

Critics also correctly note that the visit of US National Security Adviser John Bolton to Israel and his tour of the occupied Jordan Valley bodes ill for the Palestinians. Bolton’s visit might spell another brazen act on the part of the United States towards recognising Israel’s illegal control over occupied Palestinian territory in defiance of international law.

However, there is more to it than this. The US empire aims to consolidate its power base in the region ahead of any prospective confrontations with other world superpowers. Some critics have suggested that the US no longer needs the Middle East and that the effectiveness of US foreign policy should be measured by how the US engages with “China, India, Russia, the European Union, and other significant global nation-states”.

These critics clearly underestimate the importance of the region for the US empire as the global capitalist system undergoes shifts towards structures of authoritarian capitalism that decouple capitalism from democratic structures of governance and usher a new wave of far-right, populist and nationalist governments. As the philosopher Noam Chomsky remarks:

"These objectives fall within a broader strategy of forming a global reactionary alliance under the U.S. aegis, including the “illiberal democracies” of Eastern Europe (Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, etc.) and Brazil’s grotesque Jair Bolsonaro … That’s a natural strategy for today’s Trump-McConnell Republican party, well ensconced to the far right of the international spectrum, even beyond the European “populist” parties that were not long ago considered a contemptible fringe.

It is within these dynamics that the recent efforts of the Trump administration to woo and court Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority should be understood. Warming up relations with the PA is not simply, as some have noted, a belated recognition on the part of the Trump administration of the relevance and centrality of the Palestinians to any historic resolution of the conflict, but part of the campaign to realign and consolidate authoritarian and reactionary powers in the region.

It has become clear that various state actors in the region are not going to play along with the Americans as long as the Palestinians are excluded from the process. Reintegrating the Palestinians into the orbit of the US empire can guarantee that all players and actors will toe the line.

These dynamics would also explain the PA’s decision to suspend all agreements and deals with Israel after the demolition of homes in Wadi Al-Hummus. The PA is playing hard ball with the Americans, but this decision had been made in the past and it was never implemented.

Moreover, as some critics have correctly remarked, suspending these agreements would mean nothing without addressing the fate and function of the PA itself. The US might as well make some concessions to and resume some formal relations with the Palestinians, but make no mistake—this is all done in the name of US national interests and imperial hegemony.

Survey on resistance Advancement strategies During Hamas Delegation Trip to Iran

By: Hossein Ruyvaran

The trip of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to Iran highly remarkable at the current circumstance. The delegation was led by Saleh al-Arawi a deputy from Hamas political office. During their stay they met with some Iranian officials.

Currently American support to Israel has reached its high most and they intended to bring changes to current developments of the region in order to eliminate the esprit of Palestinian liberty. Before this the American policy was to control the Palestinian side through compromise policies by the PA, but currently they are trying to change the bilateral discussions into multilateral discussion and set the course in favor for Israel. In other words Americans sought Israel’s favor by adding the Saudis into the discussion and let Saudis to extract what Israel couldn’t reach as an agreement with the Palestinians, Israel’s permanent existence had always been Israel, top topic in talks.

With the beginning of Trump’s administration the task was on agenda, the Americans changed the Arab view towards Israel, and changed the Arab definitions over the brutal regime of Israel, this way they managed to bring similarities to both sides and the administration did the most to define Iran as the common threat for both the Arabs and Israelis.

The above conditions, highlight the necessity of Resistance groups’ cooperation and that’s why Hamas delegation trip to Iran makes the trip so important.

The Bahrain conference in which Trump’s aid tried to present parts of the deal of century failed, because not even the PA representatives attended the conference, this situation brought advancements for the resistance front.

It’s a top priority for all resistance groups to maintain unity and follow up a strengthened cooperation, Iran plays a major role here, the Islamic Republic is doing its most to bring order to the unity, its discussing issues between Hamas and Syrian Government, also it’s necessary to discuss strategies for bringing arms to the resistance groups in the west bank.

The Lie Of The Century

by Jafar M Ramini

Well it’s happened. It’s real. Mr Jared Kushner, the son-in-law and Senior Advisor of President Trump has delivered 136 pages of lies, suppositions and conjuring tricks to seduce or compel us Palestinians to accept our fate and surrender our rights. What rights? As far as this document is concerned Palestinians have no rights whatsoever and as for a Palestinian perspective, what is that?

The Palestinians were not even invited to Manama, let alone considered. What about the Israelis? Were they there? Were they invited? On the face of it, no, but in reality they were amply represented. What is Jared Kushner if not the team captain for the Greater Israel Project? After all, he is Jewish, an ardent Zionist, an investor in the illegal settlements in Palestine and an advocate, par excellence, for Israeli survival and supremacy.

The Lie Of The Century, as I call it, is just that. A lie. From beginning to end, every word, every supposition of this long-winded deception is to ensure that the Greater Israel Project will advance unhindered and we, the Palestinians, are to accept the crumbs off the table of our land-lords. Or perish.

But, hang on a minute, how could an occupier who seized our land by brute force be made a legitimate land-lord over us? The answer is simple. In the Trumpian universe all that matters are power and Mammon. Isn’t this what the ‘Deal of The Century’ is all about? American/Israeli power exercised over us Palestinians without mercy? And what about the money? Oh yes, there is money, but it is not American nor Israeli money. It’s Arab money. To be extorted from despotic, Arabic regimes in the Gulf, as per usual. Trump demands and the Arab Regimes of the Gulf and Saudi Arabia oblige. If they don’t, as Mr Trump intimated, their shaky thrones wouldn’t last a week without US protection.

Mr Kushner promised $50 billion in Arab money to be divided between Palestine, Jordan and Egypt. Nowhere in the document was there any mention of Palestinian political rights, the right of return of the Palestinian refugees or even the Israeli occupation of Palestine. All was conveniently kicked into touch because it doesn’t matter, you see. What matters is Israeli survival and supremacy and the continued, rapid march of the Greater Israel Project.

I say ‘rapid march’ because who is to stop it? The Palestinians do not have an army, an airforce, a navy or even a coalition to stop this march. Jordan has already succumbed to American threats and promises of prosperity. The same goes for Egypt. Especially under the hand-picked President Abdul Fatah Alsisi, whose sole purpose is to neuter Egypt and serve as a facilitator for American and Israeli hegemony in our area.

Syria? Western powers, Israel and despotic Arab/Muslim states have made sure that Syria is taken out of the equation by embroiling it in a 7-year long devastating war.

The Gulf States? Saudi Arabia? Instead of stopping this advance of Greater Israel they are facilitating it by making a frantic rush towards normalisation with Israel and to form a coalition of the willing to combat a perceived threat from another Muslim country, Iran. The honourable exception is the State of Kuwait who refused to attend this farce and reaffirmed their total support of Palestinian rights and aspirations.

Let’s look closely at the word, ‘surrender’. Many of you might remember an article I wrote recently entitled, ‘Surrender Or Die’. It didn’t take too long for the Israelis to prove me right. There it is. From the Grand weasel’s mouth, none other than Danny Danon, the Israeli Ambassador to the UN. In an article entitled, ‘What’s Wrong With Palestinian Surrender”, published in the New York Times on June 24th, one day before the Manama ‘Workshop’. “Surrender”, he wrote,” is the recognition that in a contest, staying the course will prove costlier than submission.”

There you have it. To the victor the spoils.

And then comes the other Grand Weasel, Mr Jared Kushner, to deliver the message of surrender to a room full of weasels. All these aforementioned weasels, who have been gnawing at our heels for over a century omitted to consider one vital point. The Palestinian character and pride.

Surrender is not in our character. We’d rather die standing up, defending our rights than exist, kneeling at the feet of our self-appointed land-lords and benefactors.

Just in case any of those weasels calling for our surrender might have any interest in what we Palestinians want, here is how Executive Member of the PLO, Dr Hanan Ashrawi, put it.

Jafar M Ramini is a Palestinian writer and political analyst, based in London, presently in Perth, Western Australia. He was born in Jenin in 1943 and was five years old when he and his family had to flee the terror of the Urgun and Stern gangs. Justice for the people of Palestine is a life-long commitment.

Who is setting the Middle East on fire?

Adel Suleiman

The Middle East is in so much disorder that chaos barely disappears in one place before it reappears in another. It is as if a hidden fiendish hand is controlling the destruction. Furthermore, it so happens that the flames only burn Arabs in the region and exhaust Arab resources.

Yemen, which was once a relatively happy country, is now suffering from the worst humanitarian disaster of this century so far, thanks to a futile war now in its fifth year. It is only Arabs involved, from the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf, and it has affected western and central Saudi Arabia, as well as the UAE, places which have not witnessed war for decades.

Beloved Syria has become the scene of civil war for over eight years, during which time millions of people have been displaced, with hundreds of thousands killed and wounded while regional and international forces take advantage of their land. The blood being shed on Syrian soil is almost all Arab blood.

The people of Libya looked forward to freedom after ousting dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, but as soon they looked like doing so, chaos erupted at the hands of one of Gaddafi’s former officers. Khalifa Haftar had been imprisoned in Chad before he announced his split from Gaddafi and became a refugee in the US, sponsored by the CIA and taking American citizenship. He is now behind the divisive and bloody fighting that is shedding Libyan blood; more Arab blood.

Now further chaos is erupting in Sudan as the people try to rise up against the regime of Omar Al-Bashir. After 30 years of oppression, tyranny and bloody repression, a group of generals raised the slogan of support for the popular revolutionary movement, arrested Bashir, formed a military council to take over the government, and then revealed their true face by ending a peaceful protest with violence at the hands of a compliant militia. More Arab blood shed by Arabs.

We should not lose sight of the tension in Algeria for the past four months. Weekly protests continue peacefully, albeit under the tight control of the army chief of staff. Let us hope things stay that way to allow the people to fulfil their aspirations.

Meanwhile, the chaos in Iraq continues. It’s nothing new, and the shedding of Arab blood is ongoing. In Palestine, the unrest and bloodletting has been going on for more than seventy years. The resistance against Israeli aggression has led to much Arab blood being spilt. Palestinian civilians are the main victims.

Does the Arab world have room for any more chaos? Who is behind it all, and why? Answers can be found in events in the heart of the region. The recent attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman sent a clear message that the oil supply routes from the Arabian Gulf can be cut very easily. While the fingers of blame pointed to Iran and its proxies, the government in Tehran denied any involvement. Analysts concluded that the attacks sought to escalate the conflict between the US and Iran, in favour of regional states, and Iran sought to ease the pressure of US economic sanctions. Interestingly, both the US and Iran helped to rescue tanker crews caught up in the dispute.

Elsewhere in the region, America may be accusing Iran of threatening international peace and security, but its own ally, Israel, has laid the foundations of an illegal Jewish settlement in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights named after a certain Donald Trump. The ceremony was attended by the US Ambassador in Israel, a confirmation that Washington accepts Israeli sovereignty over the occupied territory.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen at the dedication of an Israeli settlement to US President Donald Trump, in the Golan Heights on 16 June 2019 [USAmbIsrael / Twitter]

Next week sees the economic workshop being held in Bahrain to discuss the Palestinian issue through “investment for peace”, not land for peace. Washington has announced that the Arab parties which will participate are primarily Egypt, Jordan and Morocco. The programme is apparently a prelude to the political aspects of the “deal of the century”, the announcement of which has been delayed yet again, until November, following Israel’s second General Election this year, to be held in September.

In the midst of all of this, with contradictions galore between beating the drums of war and Arab states normalising relations with the Israeli enemy, Trump has spoken of his readiness for dialogue with Iran.

So who is causing all of this chaos in the Middle East, and what is the purpose? America will not strike Iran to please any regional party, nor will it stop blackmailing Arab oil states on the pretext of protecting them from the “Iranian threat”. More importantly, its “deal of the century” to liquidate the Palestinian cause is on its way. In the meantime, it is happy to let the Middle East remain in flames, as long as only the Arabs get burnt.

Isolating Iran and Turkey Is All About JERUSALEM

- Good vs Evil - WORLD IS DIVIDING!!!

Turkey, Iran, Russia. America Israel, UAE, Egypt. Breaking news about the deal of the century. Update from Jerusalem. Update from Tehran. KGB updates. Russian peace deal. The Ottomans conquered in 1517, the Land was divided into four districts and attached administratively to the province of Damascus and ruled from Istanbul. At the outset of the Ottoman era, an estimated 1,000 Jewish families lived in the country, mainly in Jerusalem, Nablus (Shechem), Hebron, Gaza, Safed (Tzfat) and the villages of Galilee. The community was comprised of descendants of Jews who had never left the Land … Today it’s a different picture. The Prime Minister ruling, Benjamin Netanyahu is originally Polish and the Saudi’s along with the Gulf States are ready to shake hands on the so called PEACE DEAL with Israel. Faisal Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, writes column supportive of the United State regimes yet-to-be-released plan, saying could alleviate Palestinian suffering and make peace more possible. Trump regime has not shared details on plan and has consistently dismissed reported leaks as mere speculation. It’s interesting that, they won’t release the details of the plan till after Ramadan. If the deal is to bring peace, then why wait till after Ramadan? Why not release the details now if it’s so peaceful? And why are Saudi’s supporting the peace plan without knowing details behind it? In 1187 Salaudin Al Ayoubi, the inspirational Muslim leader, entered the holy city of Jerusalem after a successful siege. During his reign, Saladin built many schools, hospitals, and institutions in his quest for intellectual and civic achievements. He was also determined to bring justice, peace, and prosperity to those within his domain. Although one would expect Saladin to be hated among the Crusader nations, he became one of the most esteemed Muslim figures of the medieval Islamic world because of the generosity he displayed towards the Christians despite the brutality Muslims had endured at the hands of the Crusaders. Saladin allowed Christians and Jews to continue their worship in the city and he was loved by all. There's a room, tucked away in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem where the famous Muslim general Saladin Ayyubi stayed when he wanted seclusion and carry out worship. If Jerusalem is lost, then history is lost with it. Amongst all this chaos in the Middle East and , India has ended all imports of oil from Iran, its ambassador in Washington says, becoming the latest country to grudgingly comply with threatened U.S. sanctions. It’s clear that the world is being divided through this bogus peace deal. India has just confirmed that it will no longer be buying Iranian oil. I’m not surprised, with the recent re-election of Narendra Modi, it’s finally time, that he starts showing his true face. And that is, the face of Ziopigism, the club he has joined along with the Saudis. All these dangerous developments we are witnessing on the global stage isn’t addressing what’s really behind the chaos. Jerusalem has taken centre stage, It’s all about Jerusalem, as Ilhan Omar says “it’s all about the Benjamins baby” – The devil wants Jerusalem and it’s ready to take down nations who resistant against illegal occupation. If you are siding with the Ziopig alliance and supporting the so called peace deal of the century, then you are certainly a wrong doer! We continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East, Russia is currently working to crystallize a new vision for the Palestinian-Israeli peace process based on international legitimacy – Let’s see what they have to offer to the table soon. Palestine should be a concern for everyone, of all faiths. Especially the orthodox Christian, Muslim and Jewish community. Jerusalem belongs to the world. Iran and Turkeys concern over Palestine is legitimate. The gulf Arab states are betraying the Palestinians and using petrodollars to sell Palestine. This should be a concern for us all. The Israeli lobby. Sheikh Imran Hossain

OIC breaks with Saudi line on Iran to focus on Palestine

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has urged member countries to take "appropriate measures" against countries that move their embassies to Jerusalem al-Quds.

The OIC summit in Mecca, in its final statement Saturday, condemned US recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as the "capital" of Israel as well as any position that supports prolonging occupation of Palestinian territories.

Saudi Arabia tried to hijack the summit's agenda for its Iran-bashing campaign, creating sharp differences among OIC member-states on a gamut of issues. 

But the final statement left out the kingdom's political grandstanding, instead stressing support for a future Palestinian state.

It also rejected any deal or plan that prolongs Israeli occupation and undermines the right of return for Palestinian refugees, in an implicit rejection of a US plan touted by President Donald Trump as "the deal of the century".  

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the special privy among the Arab states to Washington's plan which is reportedly riding roughshod on Palestine's core issues, including its statehood and return of refugees. 

A meeting next month in Bahrain aimed at rallying Arab economic support for the US plan is being boycotted by the Palestinians, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE are attending amid growing ties with Israel. 

This handout photo taken and released by the Jordanian Royal Palace shows Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (3rd L) posing for a family picture with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) leaders during a summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, June 1, 2019. (Via AFP)

Saudi Arabia's King Salman used the summit's opening to attack Iran over recent mysterious blasts which he described as "terrorist acts" that targeted oil tankers off the UAE coast of Fujairah.

Iran has called for the clarification of the exact dimensions of the incident and the vigilance of regional states "in the face of any adventurism by foreign elements", and warned against "plots by ill-wishers to disrupt regional security".

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani had his own message for OIC leaders ahead of the summit, urging them to stay focused on the rights of Palestinians.

PressTV-Iran urges Muslim leaders to unify against US’ ME plan

Iran's President Rouhani urges Muslim leaders to firmly counter a US-devised plan on the future of Palestine.

In a letter published online Friday, Rouhani said Muslim leaders should not let the importance of Palestinian statehood be "marginalized" in the face of the Trump administration's forthcoming plan.

Rouhani also noted in the letter he was not invited to the Islamic summit, but expressed Iran's readiness to work with all Muslim leaders to confront the White House's "deal of the century".

Iran had a representative present at the 57-nation OIC summit. On Friday, it regretted "Saudi Arabia's abuse of its privilege as the host" of the OIC "to sow division between Islamic and regional countries".

In its final statement, the OIC refused to accept any proposal for peaceful settlement that did not accord with Palestinians' legitimate inalienable rights.

It also underlined the need to protect the right of return for Palestinian refugees under UN General Assembly Resolution 194.

The group further opposed Israel's illegal measures aimed at changing facts in the occupied Palestinian territories and undermining the so-called two-state solution.

PressTV-US opens new Israel embassy amid Gaza massacre

The US officially opens its diplomatic mission in Jerusalem al-Quds amid a deadly Israeli crackdown on Palestinian protests.

Israel's claim to Syria's Golan 

Elsewhere in its statement, the OIC rejected any decision to change the legal and demographic status of Syria's Golan Heights, especially the recent US move to recognize Israeli "sovereignty" over the occupied territory.

The organization called for Israel's complete withdrawal from the Golan and its return to the 1967 borders in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.

Back in March, Trump signed a controversial decree recognizing Israeli “sovereignty” over the occupied Golan in a move which is in obvious contravention of international law.

PressTV-Trump recognizes Israel’s sovereignty over Golan

US President Donald Trump has formally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, a border area the Tel Aviv regime seized from Syria in 1967.

Islamophobia concerns

Additionally, the OIC expressed concerns about growing Islamophobia across the world.

Islamophobia, "as a contemporary form of racism and religious discrimination, continues to grow in many parts of the world, as evident by the increase in incidents of religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, and hatred and violence against Muslims," it said.

The OIC also condemned the inhumane situation of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims, demanding a halt to violence against the minority group.

Myanmar's government has the responsibility to protect its citizens, it noted.

Resurrecting the PLO is Palestine’s Best Response to the ‘Deal of the Century’

by Dr Ramzy Baroud

Palestinian groups, Fatah, Hamas and others should not confine themselves to simply rejecting the Trump Administration’s so-called ‘Deal of the Century’. Instead, they should use their resistance to the new American-Israeli plot as an opportunity to unify their ranks.

Leaked details of the ‘Deal of the Century’ confirm Palestinians’ worst fears: the ‘Deal’ is but a complete American acquiescence to the right-wing mentality that has ruled Israel for over a decade.

According to the Israeli daily newspaper, Israel Hayom, a demilitarized state, ‘New Palestine’ will be established on territorial fragments of the West Bank, as all illegal Jewish settlements would permanently become part of Israel. If Palestinians refuse to accept Washington’s diktats, according to the report, they will be punished through financial and political isolation.

This is certainly not an American peace overture, but an egregious act of bullying. However, it is hardly a deviation from previous rounds of ‘peace-making,’ where Washington always took Israel’s side, blamed Palestinians and failed to hold Israel to account. Washington has never refrained from supporting Israeli wars against Palestinians or even conditioned its ever-generous aid packages on the dismantling of the illegal Jewish settlements.

The only difference between the US ‘peace process’ of the past and today’s ‘Deal of the Century’ is in the style and tactics as opposed to the substance and details.

Undoubtedly, the ‘Deal’, championed by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s adviser and son-in-law, will fail. Not only will it not deliver peace – this is not the intention – but it is most likely to be rejected by Israel. The formation of Israel’s new government under Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership is centered round far-right and religious parties. It is no longer politically correct in the new Israeli lexicon to even discuss the possibility of a Palestinian state, let alone agree to one.

Netanyahu, however, is likely to wait for Palestinians to reject the deal, as they certainly should. Then, with the help of pro-Israel mainstream western media, a new discourse will evolve, blaming Palestinians for missing yet another opportunity for peace, while absolving Israel from any wrongdoing. This pattern is familiar, highlighted most starkly in Bill Clinton’s Camp David II in 2000 and George W. Bush’s Road Map for Peace in 2003.

In 2000, the late Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, rejected then Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak’s ‘generous offer’, an entirely manufactured political hoax that, to this day, defines official and academic understanding of what had transpired in the secret talks then.

All Palestinians must reject the ‘Deal of the Century’, or any deal that is born out of a political discourse which is not centered on Palestinian rights as enshrined in international law, a political frame of reference that is agreed upon by every country in the world, save the US and Israel. Decades of fraudulent American ‘peace making’ prove that Washington will never fulfill its self-designated title as an ‘honest peacemaker.’

However, rejection per se, while going back to business as usual, is inadequate. While the Palestinian people are united behind the need to resist the Israeli Occupation, challenge Israeli apartheid and employ international pressure until Israel finally relents, Palestinian factions are driven by other selfish priorities. Each faction seems to rotate within the political sphere of foreign influence, whether Arab or international.

For example, Fatah, which is credited for ‘igniting the spark of the Palestinian revolution’ in 1965, has been largely consumed with the trappings of false power while dominating the Palestinian Authority, which itself operates within the space allocated to it by the Israeli military occupation in the West Bank.

Hamas, which began as an organic movement in Palestine, is forced to play regional politics in its desperation for any political validation in order to escape the suffocating siege of Gaza.

Whenever both parties verge on forming a united leadership in the hope of resurrecting the largely defunct Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), their benefactors manipulate the money and politics, thus resuming disunity and discord.

The ‘Deal of the Century’, however, offers both groups an opportunity, as they are united in rejecting the deal and equally perceive any Palestinian engagement with it as an act of treason.

More importantly, the steps taken by Washington to isolate the PA through denying Palestinians urgently needed funds, revoking the PLO’s diplomatic status in Washington and shunning the PA as a political ally provide the opportunity to open the necessary political dialogue that could finally accomplish a serious Fatah-Hamas reconciliation.

Israel, too, by withholding tax money collected on behalf of the PA, has lost its last pressure card against Mahmoud Abbas and his government in Ramallah.

At this point, there is little else that the US and Israel could do to exert more pressure on the Palestinians.

But this political space available for Palestinians to create a new political reality will be brief. The moment the ‘Deal of the Century’ is discarded as another failed American scheme to force a Palestinian surrender, the political cards, regionally and internationally, will be mixed again, beyond the ability of Palestinian factions to control their outcome.

Therefore, it is critical that Palestinian groups at home and in the diaspora push for Palestinian dialogue, not simply for the sake of forming a unity government in Ramallah, but to revitalize the PLO as a truly representative and democratic body that includes all Palestinian political currents and communities.

It is only through the resurrection of the PLO that Palestinians could finally return to their original mission of devising a national liberation strategy that is not manipulated by money and not subjected to regional politicking.

If history is any indication, the ‘Deal of the Century’ is another sinister American attempt to manage the situation in Palestine in order to assert political dominance in the region. This ‘Deal’ is essential for American reputation, especially among its disgruntled regional allies who feel abandoned by the progressive American military and political retreat from the region.

This latest charade does not have to be at the expense of Palestinians, and Palestinian groups should recognize and grasp this unique opportunity. The ‘Deal of the Century’ will fail, but efforts to achieve Palestinian unity could finally succeed.

– Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of Palestine Chronicle. His latest book is The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story (Pluto Press, 2018). He earned a Ph.D. in Palestine Studies from the University of Exeter, and is a former Non-Resident Scholar at Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, UCSB.