Palestinian Authority’s embarrassing wobble over Trump plan

By Hassan Asfour
Before U.S. President Donald Trump announced his plan for political trusteeship over the Gaza Strip, effectively liquidating the national cause, some Arab states had declared their support. After it was published with its 20 clauses, some Arab countries tried to whisper in a low voice that there had been “manipulation” of what had been known to them compared with what was circulated after the meeting with the head of the Jewish fascist government, Netanyahu.

Whatever the factual truth, if such an amended publication did indeed occur, it represents the pinnacle of unprecedented political insult, and it indicates that the U.S. president attaches no weight or consideration to the Arab bloc and those who had previously offered support, continuing a policy of disregard based on the principle of “guaranteed stances” — that there will be no anger regardless of the American action taken against them.

If there was no amendment and some states tried to “hum” that they had been deceived, that would merely be an additional political failing on top of existing deficiencies, an unbecoming evasive attempt for states of their weight and capacity — states that possess the ability to redraw a regional map if they truly had an “independent streak” rather than a subordinate one.
Setting aside what became clear after Trump announced a general trusteeship plan for the region beginning with Gaza, what was truly striking was the Palestinian official leadership’s declaration welcoming it — a stance that provoked all kinds of political bewilderment, not so much because of its provocative form domestically, but because of its substance outside the proper context of the political track.

In principle, the Palestinian official institutions were not part of the negotiation track since November 2023 — when prisoner exchanges began — up to the last negotiation pause in Doha and later in Washington. In fact, they were officially boycotted by the United States, bilateral communications stopped many months ago, and everything they knew came through a “security friend” in Egypt or Qatar; otherwise their presence was very marginal, if not nonexistent.

Moreover, the American insult to President Mahmoud Abbas and the entire Palestinian official team did not even pass in hours after Washington denied them visas to attend the UN General Assembly in New York — a precedent unseen since November 1988 — and there was no real reaction from any friend other than verbal anger, under the slogan “be patient, for political benevolence comes to the patient,” so the added insult was the announcement made without their knowledge.

Assuming Arab officialdom with a stake in its own arrangements with the United States applied all forms of pressure or “blackmail” — there is no difference between the two — to have the Palestinian authorities announce a welcome so that their stance would serve as a “fig leaf” for the general Arab position, they could have demanded corrections on everything related to the Palestinian future. Specifically, they could have insisted on halting settlement in the West Bank and Jerusalem, particularly the E1 plan, and on a clear clause to stop annexation and Judaization, alongside reopening the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem; on affirming that the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are one geographic unit as part of the territory of the future State of Palestine; and on Netanyahu’s government restoring its position on mutual recognition between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the state of the entity — provisions at the core of the 1993 Oslo Declaration of Principles.

The Palestinian official leadership had a political opportunity to “seize” some political gains while a political solution was being sought, in the form of a special message of “guarantees” from the U.S. president to President Mahmoud Abbas, or any other administrative arrangement, laying a cornerstone for what would come later, as well as an Arab endorsement as a necessary documentary proof — and it still has the ability to ask, if it truly has the “capacity” to do so.

To have the Palestinian official leadership welcome Trump’s plan without a clear political price would be to have written its own political obituary — signalling that it is irrelevant to the coming political process and left on the roadside waiting for whatever political “crumbs” are tossed its way.

Note: So that his trusteeship plan over the lands runs without a headache, the American president sent the spearhead of his new political team, “Rajab,” to Doha, so that the Brotherhood movement (formerly “Hamas”) would not stammer in its words and would respond… and bless you, Turkish Messi.

Special note: The Americans woke up to a general paralysis that struck government departments… “Trampino” has opened a new war on him… it looks like it will rough him up more than the Gaza war… okay, genius, show us your cunning — how will you solve it… you left afraid and you returned afraid, oh Titi…