Today, Wednesday, October 14, 2020, my name was included in the list of signatories against a campaign waged by the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate to reject all forms of normalization of relations with Israel.

The list of signatories rejecting all forms of normalization with Israel includes the names of authors, newspaper editors, and representatives in the Egyptian parliament.

My personal position, as well as that of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, is certainly consistent with what was indicated by the disclosure of a report prepared by the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs, that 90% of the posts of Arab citizens on social media sites about relations with Israel is negative.

The Israeli report indicated that 95% of the Arab citizens criticism in the recent period focused more on the United Arab Emirates than the Kingdom of Bahrain, as Abu Dhabi was the initiative to establish relations with Israel, followed by the Kingdom of Bahrain.

In an article wrote by Marwan Muasher, the vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace says:

Much has been made in the international media about the announcement by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel that they would be establishing diplomatic and economic ties. The announcement has not been met with the same enthusiasm in the Middle East, let alone in Palestinian areas.

In his article, which was published in the "Diwan" journal, Muashar, who previously was a Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Jordon wrote:

It is important to realize what this agreement is not about. Unlike what the United States, Israel, and the UAE are painting it to be, this is not an agreement to move the peace process forward.

It is simply an agreement to serve Emirati-Israeli bilateral interests and make public those relations that had been taking place under the table for years.

The announced achievement by the UAE-that the agreement froze Israel's annexation of large parts of the West Bank in exchange for normalization with the UAE-was no achievement at all.

It was a reminder of former Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin's pledge in 1978 to freeze settlement activity for three months as part of the Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement.

We all know how that went.

In another comment, wrote by Ding Long, director of the Center for Gulf Studies at China International Economic and Trade University he said:

The American administration has chosen to launch intense diplomacy in the Middle East at this particular time, and perhaps one of its main goals is the general elections.

During Trump's tenure, the foreign policy of the United States has been marked by weakness.

Therefore, the Trump campaign carefully chose and announced the explosive news of the normalization of Emirati-Israeli relations during the crucial stage of the general elections, and attempted to pursue the victory through intense diplomatic activities to show the "fruits of peace" in the Middle East.

But the concept of "peace in the Middle East" that the United States boasted of has changed secretly.

First and foremost, the normalization of Emirati-Israeli relations has nothing to do with peace in the Middle East.

The core issues for peace in the Middle East are the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the establishment of a Palestinian state, and the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Israel under the auspices of the United States will not only go beyond the core issues of peace in the Middle East, but also complicate the Palestinian-Israeli issue.

In light of the weakening of Arab support for the Palestinian cause, the Palestinian side has become more desperate than ever to establish an independent state.

Some US politicians call the recent Middle East dynamics "Middle East peace without Palestine," but in reality, if the state of Palestine was not established, then there would be no peace in the Middle East. The "peace theory in the Middle East" that stripped and isolated Palestine is just a fallacy.

For some countries in the Middle East, improving relations or even establishing diplomatic relations with Israel comes at the expense of Palestine's fundamental interests.

Not only is this useless for the sake of peace in the Middle East, but it also makes the situation of Palestine more difficult and complex.

These countries have secretly communicated with Israel and even cooperated with it for many years, and now that they have taken a step towards establishing diplomatic relations, they have nothing to do with peace.

Second, from the "New Middle East Peace Plan" to intense Middle East diplomacy, the United States has always met Israel's requirements to the fullest.

The "deal of the century" is also called the "two-state solution" by the Trump administration, but it differs completely from the "two-state solution" recognized by the international community.

According to the plan, it appears that the Palestinian land area has expanded, but after the replacement, it has become an uninhabited desert or fragmented.

The Palestinian leaders, has clearly described Trump's map of Palestine as a piece of crumbled "Swiss cheese".

The Palestinians have been completely denied their right to establish a capital in East Jerusalem, to possess rights to defense, and to return refugees.

The United States issued an "invalid check" to aid Palestine, converting the principle of "land for peace" into "money for peace."

The amazing thing is that Palestine was absent from drafting and announcing the plan.

Palestine has also been ignored and turned from one side in the conflict to an outside party in the recent intense US diplomacy in the Middle East.

Third, the United States helped improve relations between the Arab countries and Israel, and the real goal of that is to establish a new political and military alliance against Iran and to strengthen its ability to control the situation in the Middle East. Not only is this useless for peace, it will also increase the intensity of conflict in the Middle East and increase tension in the region.

In addition, the establishment of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Israel has deepened the rift between Arab countries, the Arab world has become more divided, and regional cooperation mechanisms such as the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council have become weaker.

Between a supporter of and an opponent of Israel, new conflicts will arise between the Arab states in the future.

In fact, I intended to convey here literally and impartially these two opinions, one of which is a former Arab diplomat who is himself currently a distinguished expert at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace in Washington, and the second is a prominent Chinese expert, hoping that the readers knows the reality of the American-imposed peace process in the Middle East region.

Kamal Gaballa, Former Managing Editor of Al-Ahram