U.S. re-engagement with the Palestinians

As the Biden administration takes shape it is becoming increasing clear, through the president’s appointments to the State Department, White House staff and other federal bodies dealing with Middle East policy formulation, that he sees U.S. re-engagement with the Palestinians as a high priority.

The terms of that re-engagement could be beneficial in advancing the peace process by fostering a resumption of bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority on the basis of the new realty in the Arab/Israeli relationship.

However, the terms of re-engagement could set back the peace process if those terms encourage the Palestinians to continue to fantasize that Israel will return to the pre-1967 borders; and that Israel will agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state to be used as a launching pad for terrorism and aggression against the Jewish state as has happened in Gaza.

The first signs of that re-engagement are not promising. The president needs to avoid falling ill to what I call the “Trump Syndrome,” which are knee-jerk reactions in reversing a Trump policy.

Re-establishing the PLO Washington D.C. office as a gesture to diplomatically re-engage the Palestinian Authority could encourage the P.A. to resume negotiations with Israel.

Resuming financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority which continues to financially support terrorists and their families to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars (which would also be a violation of the Taylor Force Act) would not further either the peace process or encourage Palestinian concessions, even if they returned to the negotiating table.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, as reported in World Israel News, newly minted State Department spokesman Ned Price stated that the Trump policy of cutting off aid to the Palestinians was ineffective. According to Price, “the suspension of aid to the Palestinian people has neither produced political progress, nor secured concessions from the Palestinian leadership. It has only harmed innocent Palestinians.”

Very little of humanitarian aid has flowed down to the Palestinian people, but the State Department spokesman insisted that, “the U.S. will reinvigorate our humanitarian leadership by re-establishing aid.”

The Palestinian Authority neglects its own people’s humanitarian needs in favor of financially compensating convicted terrorists and families of so-called martyred terrorists.

The Trump policy of cutting off aid intended for humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people, a policy backed by the bi-partisan Taylor Force Act is in fact an unambiguous expression of American leadership and commitment to humanitarian funds being expended only for humanitarian purposes. This policy expresses America’s commitment to oppose Palestinian terrorism in all its forms.

The reversal of the Trump policy by the Biden Administration to unconditionally restore financial aid to the Palestinian Authority would violate the purpose and intent of the Taylor Force Act; would demonstrate an abandonment of American humanitarian leadership; and would send a clear message to the Palestinians that the terrorist killing of innocent American and Israeli citizens is permissible and will go unpunished.

This Biden policy decision if implemented runs counter to and will weaken the Abraham Accords which opened the door to real peace with the Arab world. A resumption of the peace negotiations with a Palestinian Authority given license by the U.S. to engage and encourage terrorism without penalty will lead to another dead end for the peace process.

If you wish to comment or respond you can reach me at melpearlman322@gmail.com. Please do so in a rational, thoughtful, respectful and civil manner.

Mel Pearlman holds B.S. & M.S. degrees in physics as well as a J.D. degree and initially came to Florida in 1966 to work on the Gemini and Apollo space programs. He has practiced law in Central Florida since 1972. He has served as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando; was a charter board member, first vice president and pro-bono legal counsel of the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida, as well as holding many other community leadership positions.