Its Time for The Confederated Emirates of Palestine

The Third Trump-Netanyahu Meeting needs to be Bold

The third Trump-Netanyahu summit is on and here are some suggestions on where discussions should go. The usual talk of relations with Syria and Lebanon on the one hand and Saudi Arabia on the other are too complicated for quick fixes – something that both leaders would love to bring back to their people but if done without proper work are doomed to failure. Saudi Arabia needs to adjust to its new role in the Iranian Paper Tiger era and Syria has yet to establish a true government that is not lawless and commands the respect of the people. In Lebanon – there is no need to rush the issue. IF the Lebanese government is honest with their stated goal of disarming Hezbollah they need the Israeli armed forces to help them. Once a peace treaty is declared that can’t happen.

But, as President Trump is an out of the box president whose greatest pleasure, besides seeing himself praised for winning is to stick his thumb in the eye of what has become “standard policy” for the last few decades – for uncovering the lies behind the “truths” that everyone knows. The Abraham accords were, at the time, exactly that – killing the claim that only by solving the “Palestinian issue” – meaning the creation of an armed Palestinian state with a goal as the destruction of Israel – would allow Arab countries to recognize Israel.

But now that that falsehood has been proven wrong – if only by the fascinating relationship between Israel and the UAE - it is time to expose the lies that make up more known “truths.

The second truth exposing move by President Trump was to propose resettling Gazans from that wasteland to other parts of the world. The UN and other left wing organizations hyperventilated over such a bold proposal but no one seemed to ask the Gazans what they thought. Israel fumbled the plan by not creating a governmental department to handle the logistics (it seems that none of 30+ ministers, most of whom contribute nothing, thought it worthwhile to pursue as they were too busy in Twitter/X) and President Trump became distracted by other issues going on the in world.

Now, with all eyes on a the on again off again “deal” in Gaza Elliot Kaufman in the WSJ is reporting that 6 sheikhs in Hebron and environs are proposing to setup a Hebron Emirate, independent of the failed Palestinian Authority. This follows the Keidar plan for emirates in the major West Bank cities that we wrote about in November 2023. While this has been Mordecai Keidar’s plan for nearly two decades we added one twist and that is a “Confederated Emirates of Palestine” that can grant them the ability to sign trade treaties and issue passports.

The Keidar plan of course depends mostly on buy in from the Palestinians living in those cities and in leaders willing to take the risks and responsibilities to implement the plan. We now have that in Hebron. President Trump ought to take this proposal and run with it. It is exactly the creative type of plan that can give relatively quick victories and a new vision for the region. A trade deal with the Hebron Emirate and the Trump administration could be a first step in getting this moving. As real estate deals are the expertise of this administration, contracts with Hebron stone companies (there are great quarries there) would be wonderful place to start.

The establishment of the first emirate can lead to the creation of others as the terror supporting Fatah and Hamas would be sidelined. The “fact” of this Emirate would also encourage the Gazans to start looking at alternatives to the lives they have been living –by encouraging emigration as well as an overthrow of the Hamas regime. Inviting Hebron’s Sheikh Wadee’ al-Jaabari to the White House to sign an agreement with Israel and with the United States would in one fell swoop create the type of leadership the Palestinians have been lacking – one that concentrates on the actual Palestinians and not killing Jews and destroying Israel.

Creating these “facts on the ground” and making the lives of Israelis and Palestinians more secure and vibrant would be a greater diplomatic victory for President Trump than a Saudi-Israeli deal. Making the bureaucrats of the United Nations and the “deep state” hyperventilate should motivate President Trump even more. The creation of the first Palestinian Emirate and the outlines of a Confederacy of Palestinian emirates would enable the Trump administration to bring an end to the UNRWA monstrosity once and for all. Arab Gulf money could then be funnelled away from the wasteful, corrupt and terror supporting PA and towards real economic development and the creation of a confederacy that would be formed under the local political forces and not those trained and corrupted in Geneva, Paris, London and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The third Trump-Netanyahu meeting can be more than just the same old, same old.