Palestine National Authority Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh appears to have made some news just now in his remarks to us at the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Shtayyeh was 30 minutes late for the session because, he said, he'd just received a letter from Israel indicating that Jerusalem intends to abide by the signed negotiating agreements that have antecedents all the way back to the Madrid Round of talks in 1993.
The current form of the agreements and associated talks were suspended in May of this year. Dr. Shtayyeh indicated that talks could resume on political, health, and financial matters or “anything Israel is ready to do.” We’ll see. Don’t hold your breath.
Dr. Shtayyeh was pressed by moderator and NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel on what the latter positioned as Palestine’s growing isolation in the region and beyond. Engel pointed out that the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan have recently recognized Israel, joining Jordan and Egypt in this regard. He reinforced the point by adding that the U.S. chose to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and, through all of this, “We’re not seeing cries of anger on the Arab Street.” Engel then questioned whether “land for peace” as a diplomatic construct was dead since “Israel has (relative) peace, but continues to take land.”
Dr. Shtayyeh pushed back when Engel asked whether he and the Palestine Authority were “feeling pretty lonely” in the region.” The Prime Minister pointed to widespread support for Palestine and the Two-State Solution, which he has long supported, across Europe, Africa, and Latin America and suggested that the imminent departure of the current U.S. President is a hopeful sign, too. As for initial confidence-building measures with a new Biden Administration, Dr. Shtayyeh said he hopes that the American Consulate in East Jerusalem will be reopened along with the Palestine National Authority office in Washington DC.
As with any chapter in this long, tortured history, we can be hopeful while fully understanding that any realistic chance for the Two-State Solution is no time near.
