The Europeans' somewhat positive reaction to the Trump administration's newly unveiled peace plan underscores a paradigm shift in the approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
This could be the start of a wholesale revamping of the European position, considering that ever since the 1970s, the Europeans have championed the Palestinian cause and defended them, sometimes with even more zealotry than the Arab states.
If this continues, this could culminate with the Europeans ditching their longstanding views they have been wedded too regarding this region. The traditional European approach to the region is partly a result of anti-Semitism and economic interests, but also a consequence of the romanticism that has defined the continent's view to Islamic and Arab cultures.
Trump has managed to change the rules of the game on the international stage. The Europeans played a major rule in adopting those rules, but now Trump has rewritten them entirely. The 1967 borders are no longer sacred; Jerusalem is to remain the undivided capital of Israel; the Jordan Valley is to remain Israel's eastern border, the Israeli settlements are legal and will be annexed as part of land swaps, and the "Right of Return" is not even mentioned.
The five cardinal rules, that have been reversed by Trump, were adopted, in principle or in theory, by the Europeans, helping the Palestinians perpetuate the conflict with the generous financial aid of European nations.
But now Trump threw those rules out the window. In what is truly fascinating, Brussels, Berlin, and Paris did not reject the plan outright despite its revolutionary approach and even welcomed it because it gave new impetus to a negotiated settlement and the peace process, which has long been on life support.
It appears that the Europeans have had enough of the Palestinians. They want to deal with their own problems, such as Islamic terrorism and illegal immigrants. The EU says it will study the plan, but just like the Arab states, it is just too tired of dealing with the perpetual Palestinian rejectionism.
The US plan includes the magic formula "two-state solution," which has become the European mantra since the 1990s.
This means that the EU is not overly concerned over what the Palestinian state will look like. Perhaps it has dawned on them, in light of their experience over the past several years, that if it was up to the Palestinians, they will never have a state. The Palestinians apparently prefer to continue having a corrupt welfare state that is reliant on major financial assistance (primarily from Europe).
Eventually, the international community will have to insist that the Palestinians make important decisions or alternatively, stop annoying it with their problems. To reach this situation, the international community will have to apply political and economic pressure on the Palestinians. The US has already begun doing this, and the Arab states are likely to join in.
When this happens, the Europeans will have to face a test: Will they continue with their traditional stance of supporting the Palestinians unconditionally or will they finally join those who want to solve the conflict. Trump's unwavering approach toward Iran has demonstrated to the Europeans that they have limited to no influence in the Middle East.
It is better to be on the side of Washington and they can send the first signal in that regard by telling the Palestinians that they have to move forward, along with restructuring UNRWA so that it becomes just like any other UN agency. This will demonstrate that the Europeans are serious regarding peace in the Middle East.
