US President Joe Biden begins a multi-day trip to the Middle East on Wednesday. The Democrat will come to Israel and will also visit the Palestinian territories. He will then go to Saudi Arabia on the last and most important leg of his tour. The Israelis rely on their allies to initiate rapprochement with Riyadh.
A senior Israeli source said that the full normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel “will not happen overnight”. RFI, under anonymity. However, he thinks there are “new opportunities in the region”.
The Saudis and Israelis have a common enemy: Iran.
“Previously there were Arabs against Jews. Today they are moderates against radicals,” he explains. According to this source, it’s an opportune moment for a regional strategic alliance, a deal for some sort of military deal that will confront Tehran.
The Hebrew state relies on the American president to guide this convergence of interests with Washington’s other allies in the Middle East. After this first step, the next step will be to “expand the circle of relations as the opportunities are endless”, speaking of creating ties between the Israeli and Saudi peoples. “Working together, working together, making a common history,” he emphasizes.
As a symbol of this rapprochement, the American president will travel directly from Israel to Saudi Arabia on Friday, 15th. A direct flight between Tel Aviv and Djedda will be unprecedented in the history of both countries.
Palestinians with no expectation of change
Like all US governments, Biden is no exception, and Israel is deeply committed to its ally. At the same time, the president presents himself as an opponent of the illegal continued colonization of Palestinian territories, whether in the occupied West Bank or East Jerusalem.
Israeli flags and banners with symbols of Islam were hung face-to-face on the roofs of Silwan, the Palestinian quarter of the Holy City. Both Jewish and Arab settlers want to mark their lands.
“Jerusalem City Hall is demolishing Palestinian homes,” says Fakhri Abu Diab, 60, born and living in Silwan. “At first they told us that our houses were built without permission, but most of the dwellings here were here long before the Israeli occupation. Then the city government changed its rhetoric because it was purely political. Now they are telling us that this is purely political. The neighborhood has the cultural and religious heritage of the Jewish people, so demolishing our homes.” and it is necessary to build a national park, a Jewish temple,” he denounces.
According to the Palestinian NGO Jerusalem Center for Economic and Social Rights, 23,000 demolition requests targeting Palestinian homes in Jerusalem are currently being analyzed. President Biden’s visit will change nothing for this organization’s director, Zyad al Hamouri.
“The United States is Israel’s main ally. There is only one country that can put pressure on Israel: the United States. But Americans prefer to use their veto rights to protect colonialism,” he says. If someone told us ‘you can go back to the country’ today, it would be impossible. We no longer have territorial continuity between Palestinian cities. We are surrounded by colonies,” he explains.
More than 200,000 Israeli settlers live in East Jerusalem and nearly 500,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank, according to 2020 figures from the Israeli NGO B’Tselem.
Biden and Abbas meeting
Palestinians in Ramallah also have no expectations for Biden’s arrival. The Democrat must go to Bethlehem, where he will meet with Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.
In total, four main demands were made to the American: restoration of a political horizon, reopening of the American consulate in East Jerusalem, return of financial aid, and removal from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) terrorist list. assets. .
Many Palestinians see Biden as an unconditional ally of Israel and will only keep Israel. status quo, without interfering with the Israeli occupation system. “His goal is clearly to try to create a military and intelligence alliance between Israel and some Arab countries to the detriment of the Palestinians,” says Mustafa Barghouti, co-founder and secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative.
“Biden’s visit will not bring anything good,” says Dimitri Diliani, a revolutionary council member of the nationalist Fatah party. “Words [do governo americano] nothing serious. Our problems are much bigger, these obstacles to peace need at least four or five days of continuous discussion.”
Fundamental information has been circulating among the Palestinian people in recent days that the United States is transferring about 4 billion US dollars a year to the Israeli army. “We’re only left with breadcrumbs,” said the Ramallah resident. RFI.
source: Noticias
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