Egyptian Researcher Dr. Said Okasha: The Palestinians Are Responsible For Their Own Tragedy; They Must Take Advantage Of The Opportunities Provided By The Deal Of The Century, UAE-Israel Deal

Egyptian researcher Dr. Said Okasha, an expert in Israel studies at the Al-Ahram Research Center, said in an August 24, 2020 interview on Dubai TV (UAE) that the Palestinians are fully responsible for their current "tragedy" because they have chosen align themselves with Islamist and pan-Arab movements. He said that neither of these movements actually believes in the concept of a Palestinian state. Dr. Okasha added that the Palestinians should instead act pragmatically and take advantage of U.S. President Trump's Deal of the Century and of the opportunity for peace that was created by the recent agreement between Israel and the UAE.

Dr. Said Okasha: "I believe that the Palestinians are fully responsible for their tragedy. The weird thing is that both large movements – the pan-Arab movement, with its Baathist and Nasserist branches, and the movement of political Islam and the re-establishment of the caliphate... Neither of them believe in the concept of a Palestinian state. I find it very peculiar that the Palestinians are still putting all their chips on the remnants of these two movements, even though the pan-Arab movement effectively ended in the 1970s and it does not exist anymore, and the caliphate is an imaginary plan that will never come true.

"Both movements say that they will liberate Palestine and turn it into the crown jewel of their own enterprise. So the Palestinians are in fact acting against themselves. They need to break out of these frameworks and act pragmatically. The plan presented by U.S. President Trump talks about a Palestinian state. True this state is only in the Gaza Strip and 70% of the West Bank, but this is something that can be built upon in the future. There are many problems that can be resolved peacefully in the future, rather than by war and loud slogans.

"The Palestinians are the ones responsible for the problem... The split between Fatah and Hamas... Now they want to give their chips to regional colonialist forces that want to bring back the empires of the past. Turkey wants to resurrect the Ottoman Empire, and Iran wants to have a hegemony over the region. This is a strategic mistake by the Palestinians. They fail to wake up from the stupor that has characterized their entire history. Now they must take advantage of the breakthrough towards peace that has been created by the peace deal between the UAE and Israel. This might expand to other [Arab] capitals and create a larger safety net for the pro-peace camp."