The "deal of the century", or safqat al-qarn in Arabic, is the most-mentioned phrase on social media by the Arab community in Israel this week. The plan affects them no less than Palestinians living in the territories or elsewhere in the Middle East.
The people I spoke to this week sounded as though the weighty burden of establishing a Palestinian state rested on their shoulders. Many demanded that the Arab Knesset members react. "Where are you, members of the Joint List?" wrote one on his Facebook, and another responded "those who fail to prevent a hut being demolished will not be able to prevent the "deal of the century" from being implemented."
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Like many in the Israeli public, many in the Arab community see the "deal of the century" as the realization of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's personal aspirations. Many see a link between the publication of the plan and the indictments against the prime minister, and believe that the American president is part of the Likud election campaign, a catalyst for Netanyahu to win the elections and set up the next government.
Along with the severe criticism, profanities and expletives that were written and caricatures drawn in the various Arab newspapers, there was also ample warning of "a system of apartheid" if the plan is carried out, and even some who went as far as to call on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, request citizenship for all residents of the territories, and in other words to "hand back the keys."
This is not the first time that social activists and Arab opinion formers have made such calls, along with calls on Abbas and Hamas in the Gaza Strip to take this opportunity to end the intra-Palestinian divide in order to deal with this shared challenge.
There was also plenty of black humor and racist jokes from Arab Israelis over the possibility that towns in the Triangle region of northern Israel would be transferred to the Palestinian Authority. Social media users posted funny pictures of the border crossing between Israel and Palestine, the establishment of a free-trade zone in Wadi Ara, alongside duty free shopping.
Abbas' test
The release of the plan also exposed the divide between Arab Israelis, even those who identify as "1948 Palestinians", and Palestinian residents of the territories. There were numerous posts and responses on social media that had racist and condescending undertones, stating that very soon, residents of the Triangle would become "residents of the territories", which makes them inferior to the Arab citizens of Israel.
There was not much of a discussion between supporters and opponents of the "deal of the century," quite the opposite. Without exception, everyone was in agreement on this matter: Opposed to the plan, opposed to Trump, and of course opposed to Netanyahu. Al-Arabiya journalist Ziad Halabi, for example, wrote, "Netanyahu the defendant and Trump who is facing the danger of impeachment have established Palestine from the river to the sea with a temporary apartheid regime, which will be brought down by the demographics."
The opposition of the Arab community in Israel to the relocation of residents of the Triangle to the Palestinian Authority as appears in the plan is absolutely understandable. It has been discussed for years, but no country or leader with the influence of Trump has ever given legitimacy to an idea that in the past was synonymous with forced population transfer.
Nonetheless, residents of the Triangle region now face a quandary. They must continue to face up to the question of why they should not be under Palestinian rule if they anyway identify as Palestinians. But it is difficult, impossible even, to disconnect the Triangle's residents from their daily lives in Israel, from their work, their studies.
For example, almost entirely under the radar we have seen an interesting phenomenon where many Triangle residents have bought property in Jewish cities. From Nof HaGalil (formerly known as Nazareth Illit) and Afula in the north, down to the Netanya area. Some have even moved in. It seems as though their concern that one day they would wake up and find themselves in a Palestinian state was not baseless.
This trend could really take off now: young couples from Umm al-Fahm in the northern end of the Triangle down to Kafr Qassem in the southern end will prefer to purchase apartments in places like Harish and Netanya and live there. That way they will improve their living conditions on the one hand, and also protect themselves from the possibility that they will be moved to a future Palestinian state.
Alongside the considerable opposition to the "deal of the century", the Arab community in Israel has also voiced considerable self-criticism. Many wrote "what would the Arabs do without social media? How would the Arabs protect the Palestinians?" heavily hinting that not enough is being done.
The "deal of the century" this week prompted the return of an idea championed by the nationalist Bnei Hakfar ("Sons of the Land") movement: The binational state. The movement itself has long ceased its social and political activities, but many of those who still identify with its ideology reiterated this week that this is the best solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Director and actor Mahmoud Subuh for example wrote "one binational state … that's the solution."
Saleem Brik, a lecturer in political science at Haifa University, believes that voting en masse for the Joint List could scupper the plan. "Vote for the Joint List and all of Trump's plan will end up in the trash," he says adding that if the party's share of the vote and political power increases, the right wing will be weakened.
Alongside virtual certainty that nothing is going to change in the coming years and that the "deal of the century" will not be rolled out in its current form – and in spite of the support of key Arab states – many see it as actually as a threat to the Jewish character of Israel, given that annexation of the Jordan Valley will bring with it giving citizenship or residency to tens of thousands of Palestinians, something which many Palestinians do not oppose.
The Palestinian Authority chairman did score himself some points with the Arab public this week when he refused to speak to President Trump about the plan. Many in the Arab community of Israel, however, called on him to take a major, proactive decision straightaway and halt the security cooperation with Israel. This is something that for many Israeli Arabs should never have existed in the first place, and ending it would undoubtedly be seen by many as part of the resistance to Israel's policies and measures in the territories.
There is not much that can surprise the Arab community, especially not after the declarations of support for the plan from Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Many sarcastically suggested that Israel should now join the Arab League, after all, it is part of the vision of a new Middle East.
Jalal Bana is a media adviser and journalist.
