This is not the first time that the United States is presenting a peace plan in an effort to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But this time is going to be different. First, because, unlike previous plans, the "deal of the century" is practical and reflects reality on the ground rather than some pipe dream; second, because the Trump administration enjoys the kind of regional status the US has not known for many years; and third, because the plan is likely coordinated with Israel.
The plan and any subsequent Israeli moves are likely to earn international condemnation, but that is meaningless given the support the Trump administration offers Israel. Washington is in-sync with several key Arab states, which it could enlist to help advance its proposal.
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The US move may, therefore, give Israel the ability, for the first time in its history, to shape its own borders in accordance with its security interest.
Still, one has to ask: What of the Palestinians? After all, the peace plan's rollout could have been their finest hour. The Trump administration's plan does not ignore the Palestinians but rather meets their long-term needs and even the expectations of the Palestinian population – even if it does not subscribe in full to all of their demands.
But the Palestinian leadership rushed to reject the plan even before it was officially introduced. This was the predictable, almost Pavlovian response, which is why it was so disappointing.
It stands to reason that even had the Americans promised the Palestinians everything they ever wanted, they still would have rejected the plan. This is a pattern in Palestinian history, rooted in the weakness and inability of the Palestinian leadership for generations to make fateful decisions, to face Palestinian public opinion and to persuade it that concessions and compromises are necessary to achieve the greater goal.
The rivalry between Hamas and Fatah, especially over the question of who will succeed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas does little to help.
Instead of taking their fate in their hands, the Palestinians have always sought to rely on the fact that others will do their bidding. In the past, this fell to Arab countries on the battlefield, and now it falls to the international community in the diplomatic arena.
Weakness and desolation, and perhaps simply the absence of a national backbone, and of course, the difficulty to face and accept reality for what it is have always caused the Palestinians to get in their own way, and even now, they are refusing a proposal the likes of which will not come their way in the future.
The Palestinians can, as usual, reject the plan and wait for the next elections in Israel or the US. They can also opt for violence and strife, to the point of dismantling the Palestinian Authority. Either way, the Palestinian decision to reject Trump's peace plan is simply another nail in the coffin of the notion of Palestinian statehood and that is something for which Israel must brace.
