WHAT NORMALIZATION? THE SAUDIS ARE TAKING A BREAK! SAYS DON JURAVIN

*This is an opinion blog*

A scholarly political event led by Don Juravin from Bella Collina, Florida (Dwight Schar center for peace) and influencers from Israel and seven other Arab countries. This article is a summary of the discussion.

Muhammad bin Salman did not like the surprise prepared for him by his friends, who were competitors from the Emirates. The Saudi regent smiled, grumbled, and explained to his friend Jared Kushner that he would not condemn their move and opened his airspace to flights from Israel. However, he will not jump into the water and let other Arab countries make peace at this point.

Muhammad bin Salman now wants everyone to calm down: that Abbas stop blaspheming and stop burning emirate flags, that Generals Burhan and Hamdan in Sudan slow down their run towards Israel and that Hamad king of Bahrain – a kingdom that is a kind of autonomous province of Saudi Arabia –  wait for his orders.

The 35-year-old emir asked the Americans to see to it that negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel resume. He is well aware that Abu Mazen is not eager to bring his representatives to the table, and there is no chance of an agreement anyway. But a semblance of dialogue is necessary for him to keep moving forward. Thus, he signaled to Ramallah that they must move and not fortify themselves in an attempt to “isolate” the UAE agreement. Indeed, in recent days there has been an apparent reduction in the intensity and sharpness of Palestinian statements. The silent Saudi threat is that Abu Mazen’s refusal will impose an undeclared ban on himself.

The proposal on the table was submitted to the chairman of the Palestinian Authority by the foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt. The United States, the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia all worked together with several Arab and Saudi Arabian countries. Such a mechanism should allow Abu Mazen to elegantly withdraw from his boycott of the Trump administration without accepting the “deal of the century” as the basis for discussions. But there is a small problem on the way to realizing this idea – Abu Mazen refuses to adopt it. He prefers “Zoom” rallies with Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders who arrived in Beirut for the event.

The proposal on the table was submitted to the chairman of the Palestinian Authority by the foreign ministers of Jordan and Egypt. In other words: the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia, together with several Arab and Saudi Arabian countries in the content. Such a mechanism should allow Abu Mazen to elegantly withdraw from his boycott of the Trump administration without accepting the “deal of the century” as the basis for discussions. But there is a small problem on the way to realizing this idea – Abu Mazen refuses to adopt it. He prefers “Zoom” rallies with Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders who arrived in Beirut for the event.

In fact, I learn from Ramallah, Abu Mazen has already decided, after the abolition of the annexation, to resume security coordination with Israel and the system of civilian ties. He needs to release the flow of funds from Israel to his emptied coffers, but the agreement with the Emirates causes him to postpone implementing the decision. He does not, of course, want to be seen joining the normalization celebration. His aides say he may wait for the US election results. In the meantime, he has a Saudi promise in his pocket to continue to adhere to the 2002 “Arab peace initiative” that demands a Palestinian state against normalization.

What the regent thinks about the Palestinian leadership can be understood from a scathing article in the Saudi newspaper Ukhaz on Tuesday. The Palestinian leadership – accusing Hani al-Zahiri – has been trading on the painful issue for decades and rejects any proposal for a settlement while consuming vast sums of Arab and European aid. The Arabs have lost their souls in this fight, and they are losing interest in the Palestinians. The move of the Emirates only sharpens the need for a turning point in them. 

One of the participants said, “The wise Arabs must intervene and negotiate with Israel away from the opportunist gangs. The fig leaf that covers the thieves’ shame must be removed” (!), He wrote, adding: The Palestinian problem has reached old age and is marching to its death. Obvious words, no?

MBS is taking advantage of the time it has taken to address other issues before deciding how Saudi Arabia will be represented at the signing ceremony of the agreement between the Emirates and Israel. His first dramatic move this week was the overthrow of the commander of his forces in the war in Yemen, Emir-General Fahd bin Turki, on a charge of corruption. 

This is a big shock! It is almost a public admission that Saudi Arabia has been failing five years in an offensive that has banned the Houthis, Iran’s allies. This terrible war was initiated by the regent and turned out to be an adventurous gamble.

The second issue is ostensibly gossip but has dangerous political implications: On Tuesday, the book “Blood and Oil – Muhammad bin Salman’s Pursuit of Global Power” was published by Bradley Hope and Justin Sack. The book is replete with embarrassing stories that portray the man as a dubious character who tried, among other things, to plant spies at Twitter headquarters. Now he must fend off the murky wave and mostly the next affair.

Before he rose to prominence, the young emir organized a lust party for his associates to last a whole month and cost no less than $50 million. He rented a luxury all-suite hotel in the Maldives and flew groups of prostitutes from Russia and Brazil. They all underwent medical tests on the spot to make sure no guests were exposed to sexually transmitted diseases. Each of the hotel’s 300 employees was promised a $5,000 grant provided they did not gossip or tell the press. It was essential that the story did not leak out because they drank vast amounts of alcohol, which is forbidden to Muslims. But something went wrong, and the orgy was stopped after a week. The reason: The Iranians reported the scandal to one of the Arab newspapers. Emir Muhammad Erez flew home.

He will determine when and how further the agreements will reach the Arabs.

Don Juravin (Bella Collina, Florida, Dwight Schar center for peace)

Don Juravin is an American with Middle East & European heritage. An expert in the Bible and weight reduction fields but with a vast opinion on politics, finance, legal and social matters. 

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