The Arab world stands at a crossroad – a moment of truth that hinges on the region’s unified leadership and moral clarity. As President Trump arrives in the Gulf this week, seeking investments and strategic partnerships, the opportunity for regional peace and security is overwhelmingly clear. The Arab leaders should explain clearly to President Trump that peace and economic development in the Middle East are within reach and depend on one critical condition: The admission of Palestine to the United Nations as its 194th member state.
For this to become a reality, the United States must lift its veto on Palestine’s entry to the UN. As the President meets with regional partners, he should hear an unambiguous message from his counterparts: All Arab partnerships with the US and of course with Israel are contingent upon a lasting peace through the two-state solution, which the US can bring about.
What is at stake is not simply a diplomatic negotiation. The two-state solution is a practical imperative and a test of international resolve. There can be no peace in the region, and no long-term development, if Israel continues to maraud its way through Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and others. Israel must be compelled – through diplomacy – to live within its own borders, and to allow Palestine to live within its legal borders, those of June 4, 1967. If the US backs the admission of Palestine to the UN, this will happen.
The stakes could not be higher. The US would receive a windfall of investments. The Middle East would achieve normalcy and the basis for a surge of economic development, and both Israel and Palestine would live in peace.
The Trump administration, in a significant departure from previous administrations, is moving towards a foreign policy centred on pragmatic deal-making diplomacy.
Under his guidance, diplomatic negotiation channels were opened with Iran – as both countries enter their fourth round of negotiations in Oman regarding nuclear talks. President Trump has repeatedly stated his willingness to reach consensus: “I think we’re going to make a deal with Iran”, and is even willing to meet Iran’s president. Similarly, the US reached a ceasefire agreement with the Houthis in Yemen last week, an encouraging step for both global trade and stability. Another bold diplomatic manoeuvre is the US direct negotiations with Hamas, which resulted in the release of captive Edan Alexander.
It has become increasingly clear that President Trump holds US strategic interests above all else, and that he correctly views peace as his country’s overarching strategic interest. This translates into true potential for peace in the Middle East.
The foes of peace in Israel’s extremist government want us to believe that there is an intrinsic, almost innate reason for the war on Palestine to continue. In essentially racist terms, Netanyahu and his ilk are arguing that peace with Palestinians, based on Palestinian political self-determination and self-rule, is impossible. The result is Israel’s brutal destruction and de facto annexation of Gaza and Israel’s ongoing war on Palestinians in the West Bank.
Netanyahu’s government has two main interests: Continuing the war in Gaza and the West Bank to block a Palestinian state, and drawing the United States into direct confrontation with Iran. Both are contrary to US interests.
This Israeli government is now completely isolated in the international community. Even the United Kingdom, previously a staunch supporter of Netanyahu’s war, has shifted its position. Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer stated that the government’s position is “crystal clear”: “We strongly oppose the expansion of Israel’s operations. Any attempt to annex land in Gaza would be unacceptable.”
The vast majority of UN member states have already demonstrated their support for the two-state solution, most recently by adopting the UN General Assembly resolution. The will of the global community is clear: Israel’s illegal occupation must end, and a Palestinian State must be established in accordance with international law. This is possible under the mantle of the United Nations, this upcoming June, during the High-level International Conference on Palestine.
Peace has been the generational clear-cut position of the League of Arab States, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and all regional partners. The Arab Peace Initiative (API), adopted at the Beirut Summit in 2002 and reiterated consistently over the years, demands Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied territory and the establishment of a Palestinian state as the basis for peace and diplomatic normalisation with Israel.
President Trump and the Arab leaders have a historic opportunity this week to end a conflict that has raged for one century. By adopting the two-state solution, Trump would not only bring peace to Israel and Palestine, but also to Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. An agreement between the US and Iran regarding nuclear non-proliferation and an end to US sanctions on Iran would immediately come within reach. Belligerents could lay down their arms, and rebuilding and economic development could come to the forefront. In short, this week offers the extraordinary opportunity for the US and the Arab world to make history, for the benefit of the entire Middle East, including Israel and Palestine, and indeed for the benefit of the entire world.
