Palestinian frustration and anger with the Arab world for its general indifference to Israel's plan to extend sovereignty to large parts of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley is growing, Palestinian Media Watch reported over the weekend.
Diplomatic sources told Israel Hayom Sunday that high-ranking officials in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and several Persian Gulf states have told their Israeli counterparts that while they must have their ear to the ground with regard to their respective publics' response to the move, their governments do not plan on taking any action against Israel beyond declarative condemnations.
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So far, the only Arab leader to oppose Israel's plan outright has been King Abdullah of Jordan, who has explained that while it is in Amman's interest to have permanent Israeli security presence along the western border between the two countries, such a move could spark riots that would threaten the stability of Jordan's government, which is why he has to try to counter the move on the regional and international levels.
This type of caution in the Arab world coincides with the overall change in policy in many Arab countries, which no longer immediately dismiss the notion of normalizing relations with the Jewish state.
Saudi Arabia has long stopped denying it maintains behind-the-scenes diplomatic and intelligence cooperation with Israel, primarily in pursuit of mutual objectives with respect to the two countries' common enemy – Iran; and just last week United Arab Emirates firms signed a historic partnership deal with Israeli companies as part of the fight against the coronavirus
Overall, since the Arab Spring stormed through the Middle East in 2011, toppling longtime rulers and forever changing the geopolitical landscape, many Arab leaders have been busy stabilizing their regimes and focusing on counterterrorism efforts.
This change has marginalized the Palestinian issue with respect to Arab leaders' agendas. These leaders can no longer afford to prioritize the Palestinian interest over their own, something Ramallah has found hard to counter.
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According to Palestinian Media Watch, PA President Mahmoud Abbas has been taken aback by the fact that the solid backing he expected to receive from Arab leaders over Israel's sovereignty bid is simply not there.
Faced with this unexpected indifference, the Palestinian Authority is pressing all Palestinian factions, as well as the Arab world, to launch a "jihad" – holy war – against the Jewish state, saying they must "act before it's too late" using propaganda on Palestinian state media.
