Articles In Jordanian Press Call For New Intifada In West Bank, To Thwart The 'Deal Of The Century'

Ahead of the announcement of the U.S. Middle East peace plan known as the "Deal of the Century," and in light of concerns in Jordan that its implications may threaten the kingdom's stability,[1]the Jordanian press, including the government daily Al-Rai, has recently published scathing articles against Israel that contain calls for a new Palestinian intifada in the West Bank in order to thwart this deal, among other goals.

The following are excerpts from some of these articles:

Columnist For Government Daily Al-Rai: A Serious Intifada In The West Bank Is The Best Way To Thwart The 'Deal Of The Century'

In his April 26, 2019 column in the government daily Al-Rai, titled "How Shall We Deal with the Deal of the Century?", journalist Muhammad 'Ali Marzouq Al-Zuyoud called on the Palestinian factions to rally around the spirit of resistance, since a serious intifada is the best way to foil the Deal of the Century. He wrote: "I believe that the crime of forming this 'deal' will advance [the goals of] burying the right of return, settling the refugees [in the countries hosting them], declaring all of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the occupying Zionist entity, and confining the Palestinians to small areas in the West Bank, with Abu Dis perhaps serving as the capital...

"All the Palestinian forces and factions, chief of them Fatah and Hamas, must reconcile directly and reembrace the principles of liberation, otherwise, their positions on the 'deal' will be cast into severe doubt... [The Palestinians] must immediately stop the security coordination with the occupation, support and encourage all the liberation forces in Palestine, and spread the spirit of resistance and confrontation among the people – for a serious revolution or intifada inside the occupied territories is the best way to thwart any deal or plan..."[2]

Al-Dustour Columnist: We Need A Palestinian Intifada That Will  Reverse All The Existing Equations

In his April 23 article in the daily Al-Dustour,[3] Hussein Al-Rawashdeh wrote that, given the dire condition of the Arab world, and given that the Israelis understand only the language of force, the Palestinians have no choice but to launch a new intifada that will unite them and the Arab world as well. He wrote: "What is happening in our Arab world today is the blatant declaration of a third Nakba, and if we do not confront it with a third intifada, the aggression will [continue] and we will pass down its effects and tragedies to our children and grandchildren, as we have done for the past decades...

"We, the [Arab] governments and [Arab] societies alike, are all in a difficult position, paying the price for the helplessness, failure and fear that have gripped us for decades, during which we completely scorned our national, religious and humane duties, until today we stand almost completely exposed before a cruel world that wants to defeat us, deprive us of the bare needs of existence and send us back to the stone age. The Palestinians themselves have not yet declared their intifada. Do we now need a third intifada that will reverse all the existing equations? Yes we do, [but] only the Palestinian people itself can reshuffle the deck and create [new] options. It may be [true] that we must closely examine the dangers inherent in this option, [and it may be true] that the Palestinians' current condition is worse than ever... But despite all this, the Palestinians, who are now seeing the first signs of a new Nakba aimed at eliminating the Palestinian cause, have no choice but to [declare] a new intifada, which this time will unite them by the force of their determination and their stones and embarrass the [Arabs] who watch from the sidelines and the proponents of dialogue, or will expose [their shame] more effectively than the wars in Gaza and the long-standing siege on it.

"A new intifada. Why not? It is more important than the [inter-Palestinian] reconciliation, and it is the best response to the Deal of the Century and to those who spread [the idea of] normalizing [relations] with the occupier for no reward. It is more important than the barren negotiations and all the rhetoric about defending Al-Aqsa – for the Israelis understand only the language [of force] and the world notices only dramatic events. Furthermore, the [Arab] brethren, who are quarreling among themselves, will not be able to convene for 'negotiations'... but they will rally around the intifada and confrontation launched by the Palestinian children, women and elders who yearn for martyrdom and have wearied of diplomacy...

"A third intifada? [Yes,] even if many believe that the Palestinians are exhausted and that the calm will persist until it eliminates the [Palestinian] cause and Trump manages to create a new [kind of] Palestinian."[4]      

Al-Rai Columnist: A New Intifada Is Imminent; Let's Hope It Will Be Directed Against The Enemy

Another columnist in the government daily Al-Rai, journalist Basem Sakijha, attacked the policy of Palestinian President Mahmoud 'Abbas, which he said has brought the Palestinians to a dead end, and called on him to take a historic decision about the PA's future and his own. He added that an intifada is inevitable, and that it must be directed towards Israel, not against the PA, like Israel wants. He wrote: "True, Palestinian President [Mahmoud 'Abbas] presents the Palestinian issue at every forum, and stresses in every speech that he has reached an impasse and that he will soon surprise the world with his decisions. But the promised surprise has not materialized, and if it ever does, it will not be a surprise. Since the death of Abu 'Amar [Yasser Arafat], his successor Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] has tried to [implement] his own personal vision, and the result is now before us: he himself admits that we have reached a dead, dead, dead end.

"The Palestinians follow the events in the Arab world, and condemn presidents for prolonging their terms in office. They welcome the departure of Sudanese [president 'Omar] Al-Bashir and Algerian [president 'Abdelaziz] Bouteflika, and wait to see what will happen in their [own] occupied land. They miss no opportunity to express their opposition to the occupation with words, stones, knives, bullets and other [means].

"Abu Mazen is one of the five founders of the Fatah movement, which has led the Palestinians for about half a century... It is only natural that he should contemplate and take a historic decision about his future and the future of the Palestinian Authority [PA]. Anyone who fails to see that a Palestinian intifada is about to arrive is politically blind and unable to understand Palestinian history. And whoever fails to see that Israel realizes this, and wants it to be an intifada against the PA and not against Israel, is blind as well. Let's hope [people] realize what is happening in the streets, and that the intifada will be against the enemy."[5]

Columnist For Mouthpiece Of Muslim Brotherhood In Jordan: Only An Armed Intifada Will Thwart The Deal Of The Century

In his March 14, 2019 column in Al-Sabil, the mouthpiece of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, Jamal Al-Shawahin urged the Palestinians to launch a new armed intifada in order to topple the weak and concession-prone PA leadership and thwart the Deal of the Century and "the Jewish plot in Jerusalem." He wrote: "The Jewish plot in Jerusalem is now nearly complete. Al-Aqsa has become a place of continuous [Israeli] violations [of the status quo]. It has reached the point where [Muslim] worshippers are expelled from it and it is closed [to them]... The expulsion of [Palestinian] Jerusalemites from their homes also continues, and the entire city is now being threatened with the complete erasure of its Islamic and Arab character. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is preparing the ground for stepping up the Jewish effort to reach the finish line, now under the title of Trump's 'Deal of the Century,' [which] aims to finally eliminate the Palestinian cause.

"Obviously, it will not be easy or possible to close the books on the Palestinian issue, and it will remain open, whatever forces are included in the deal. To this end, it is enough for the resistance to continue being the main [weapon] of the Palestinians, and for Gaza to uphold its obligation to continue the resistance and continue harassing the occupation, never letting it rest...

"The discourse on declaring a new intifada is stronger than ever today among all the Palestinians, because it is known that the Jews understand only the language of resistance and intifada, and the language of stones and burning tires. It is clear that, in the current situation, there is no preventing the [resistance] from also being as armed as it can possibly be and carrying out quality operations. It is only by these means that the Trump deal will be brought down, along with the Ramallah regime."[6]