THE Abraham Accords signed recently between Israel on the one hand, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain on the other, is touted as a peace deal. But, they were not at war. There was much behind-the-scene cooperation, reportedly for the last decade.
For the Palestinians, for whom both the UAE and Bahrain have third States' obligations, they are an inconvenience relegated to the back-burner.
So inconsequential were they that the UAE was pleased enough that Tel Aviv was suspending the annexation of the West Bank for the time being, as if it was a concession for the Palestinians and will lead to the restoration of Palestine and peace. Even amid the joyful announcement, Israeli social media reported the continued bombing of Gaza by Israel.
Palestine's statehood was suspended when it refused to recognise UN resolution 181, which divided the then British Mandate between Israel and Palestine.
Acceptance then would have meant the recognition of the theft of their own land. But Israel was a willing thief and with it became a state.
The Palestinians whom at that point were, too, part of the Arab world was, therefore, part of the pan-Arab position which called for Israeli withdrawal from illegally Occupied Territories. Normal relations, according to this position, for Arab states with Israel can manifest only when there is acceptance of Palestinian statehood.
The Abraham Accords are then necessarily viewed as a betrayal to the Pan-Arab position. Hamas' spokesman, Hazem Qassem, has accused the Accords of harming the Palestinian cause by supporting the occupation.
For Palestinians, it is the breaking of this consensus by UAE and Bahrain that is viewed as a stab in their backs. The sentiment is unmistakeable.
The Palestinian cause is no longer the centre of some Arab states' politics. The refusal of the Arab League to condemn the Abraham Accords, as demanded by the Palestinian Authority, cannot but prove this betrayal.
The Saudi Crown Prince's rebuke of the Palestinians for refusing to relent to the "Deal of the Century" at the end of last year is another clear example of the erosion of pan-Arabism. The new perception is that the Palestinian problem can be solved only with normalisation with Israel. Pan-Arabism has outlived its nature.
However, Palestine is more than an Arab concern. Palestine is a core constituent of the Islamic belief and is thus firmly ensconced in the Muslim world as a necessary feature of Islam.
Malaysia, for example, has held strongly against the establishment of friendly relations with Israel.
A recent article in the New Eastern Outlook, "On the emerging rival blocs in the Middle East" holds that the UAE-Bahrain-Israel alliance has caused a counter alliance to emerge "...that the real locus of regional rivalry in the Middle East lies in Iran's and Turkey's own ambitions pitting both the non-Arab states against their powerful Arab allies and their common enemy, Israel".
Some are hailing it as bringing in a new climate of peace and economic cooperation, and would usher in a change to West Asia, which is described by the New Eastern Outlook as thus: the UAE as "ringleader" of the Gulf and "Israel as the new security overlord".
Turkey and Iran are major military powers in West Asia, while the Arab states are naught without US backing. Furthermore, Palestine is an Islamic issue despite the multi-religious composition of the Palestinians. The question then is, can the leaders of the Gulf states and other lesser Islamic nations carry their people with them?
Given Saudi Arabia's loosening regional grip, it cannot be ignored that Riyadh is facing an economic decline in the midst of the world slump in oil prices, a recovery not assured if the green economy is to become part of the post-Covid 19 new normal.
Or, is the Abraham Accords a political toy, an instrument of the Trump re-election campaign?
A desperate attempt to resurrect some semblance of statesmanship in the face of an image defeated by a pandemic so badly mismanaged proving beyond doubt that America is far from great again. Making America great again was Trump's 2016 promise.
But, the decline of the American Empire is too naked to refute. Millions are unemployed. More than 200,000 Americans dead and businesses are failing. The United States is in socio-political chaos and unrest is widespread.
Are the Palestinians the attempted sacrifice at the altar of a Trump re-election trickery?
The writer is executive director, International Movement for a JUST World (JUST)