The most prominent event in the Middle East in the wake of US President Donald Trump's announcement of the impending rollout of his regional peace plan was the relative silence that followed. The Palestinians, as expected, were quick to protest, but others in the Arab world, at least for now, have said nothing.
One would expect the "deal of the century," which pulls the rug from under the traditional Arab demand for the establishment of a Palestinian state over the entire West Bank with east Jerusalem as its capital, would rattle the Arab world to its core, send the masses to protest in the streets, and earn condemnations and threats from Arab leaders far and wide; as they, ostensibly, still committed to the Arab peace plan from 20 years ago.
But none of that happened, most likely over three primary reasons:
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The first is basically technical: The plan is about to be announced but has yet to be fully published. There is no point in jumping to denounce anything before all the details of the program – sticks, carrots and all, for Israel and the Palestinians – are laid out on the negotiating table.
The second reason is that the plan is a blueprint. Both parties will have to abide by it, but there is no rush to accelerate its implementation on the ground by next week.
Only when it becomes clear that the Palestinians continue with their adamant refusal to cooperate and negotiate with Israel, will the latter receive a green light from Washington for any unilateral annexation moves. This is unlikely to happen before a new government is formed.
The third reason for the Arab restraint concerns priorities: The echoes of the Arab Spring, which ousted rulers, and left countless dead, wounded, and displaced, are still felt well. Add to that the emerging Iranian threat and the menace posed by radical Islam in all its forms, and it is easy to conclude that these leaders have more pressing issues for Arab regimes to deal with than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has been pushed aside.
These reasons are compounded further by the cumulative fatigue in the Arab world from the prolong Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the deep frustration with the severe internal rift between Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas; as well as with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' rejectionism vis-à-vis any proposal ever presented with aim of breaking the deadlock that has been plaguing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process since 2014.
The Saudis and their Gulf neighbors are growing exceedingly tired of being held hostage by the regional conflict with respect to normalizing relations with Israel, and cracks in the norm by which such efforts are forbidden are now clearly visible. Those looking for proof need look no further than the fact that as of Sunday, Israelis can travel to Riyadh for religious or business purposes.
The two exceptions in the Arab world's understated approach to the American peace plan are the Palestinians and the Jordanians.
One can understand, although not justify, the enraged response by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who now understands how all of the generous offers once made to the Palestinian and rejected will never return
One can also understand Jordan's concern, as applying Israeli sovereignty in the Jordan Valley would further jeopardize the already precarious domestic stability in the kingdom.
But one also has to agree that Trump's plan – even if it does not meet an eager Palestinian partner in the foreseeable future – lays a more logical and sane foundation than any of its predecessors for future talks on resolving the conflict, which has been exhausting everyone for over 100 years.
