Al-Rafidain Center for Dialogue RCD organized an interactive symposium entitled "Arab-Israeli Normalization Attempts at the Warsaw Conference: Palestinian vision", on RCD's Sérgio de Mello Hall at its headquarters in March 15, 2019, hosting His Excellency the Palestinian Ambassador to Iraq, Mr. Ahmed Aqel. During the symposium, the ambassador touched upon the issues of the Palestinian question, especially with regard to the "Warsaw" conference, referring to the recently proposed deal of the century, which is not in the interest of the Palestinian people. He underestimated the importance and political value of the "Warsaw" conference, stressing that no side events were held on the sidelines of the conference between Netanyahu and the Arab and Islamic countries participating in it, except for a meeting that took place between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman and the Prime Minister of Israel.

Aqel believes that there are many events that contributed to the consolidation of Israel in the region, including the Arab Spring revolutions that distracted Arab peoples and governments from exercising their historical role in rejecting this regime, in addition to the phenomenon of terrorism that struck the region and paralyzed its movement. His Excellency the Ambassador also confirms that Israel targets the entire region, and its hostility is not limited to the Palestinian people, as it stems from ideological legacies that classify the borders of the State of Israel from the Euphrates to the Nile.

The symposium was attended by a number of religious leaders, academic and political figures in Najaf province.

Below are the main conclusions and recommendations of the symposium. 

Conclusions:

1.     The Arab region witnessed important events, such as the spread of terrorism and the Arab Spring revolutions, which contributed to the consolidation of Israel's presence and influence in the region.

2.     With its plans, Israel does not target the Palestinian people, but rather the region in general, and this is evident through the military and economic capabilities it seeks to possess to achieve its colonial goals and the expansion of settlements.

3.     Israel aims to remove the ideological dimension from the Palestinian cause because it believes that the ideological and cultural aspect, which is against it, is the biggest obstacle to its expansion in the region.

4.     The current US administration deals with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from an ideological rather than a political perspective, and does not want to solve the problems politically, especially since those close to President (Donald Trump) are considered supporters of the extreme right, with regard to issues related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

5.     The deal of the century is not intended to guarantee the rights of the Palestinians, and the term "deal of the century" that (Trump) has used indicates his approach to dealing with issues from a commercial real estate perspective, not from a political-legal perspective. In addition, what (Trump) presented with regard to this deal constitutes a clear and explicit violation of the peremptory international legal norms, and it is clear from this that he does not believe in resolving crises and conflicts through amicable and diplomatic means.

6.     It is noted, from the extrapolation of the situation, that the deal of the century has a direct relationship with the (Warsaw) conference and Israeli normalization with the countries of the region. Also, its purpose (ie: the deal of the century) is to re-division the map of the region in a way that achieves and serves Israel's interests, ensures its security, and paves the way for expanding its influence in the region.

7.     The Palestinian government believes in many solutions, including the two-state solution, or integration into one state based on citizenship, or any solution through which the rights of the Palestinian people can be guaranteed and not to gamble with the blood of its children spilled by Israel.

8.     American pressure continues on international institutions and organizations concerned with refugee affairs in order to pressure the Palestinian Authority or weaken the issue of refugee return.

9.     The (Oslo) agreement is not a normalization agreement, but rather an agreement on provisional self-government, during which normalization did not take the widest space or the main topic in the discussions.

10. A military solution is not the most likely solution for the Palestinians, because of their belief in peace and a peaceful solution to the conflict, with the need to guarantee their rights and preserve their lands and properties.

11. Now, there is no Arab-Islamic deal of the century, due to the lack of the infrastructure for that, because such work requires great effort and capabilities that may not be available at the present time.

12. The official and popular Palestinian position is against normalization. This is reflected in the clear popular rejection, as well as the governmental position, of which the Palestinian embassy in Iraq, through the words of its ambassador, represented a part.

Recommendations:

1.     The international, Arab and Islamic community should work to support the Palestinian people, especially Arabs and Muslims, and participate in the development of a peaceful solution that guarantees their rights. The official position of the Palestinian Authority is to try to benefit from all countries, and it is not preferable to align themselves with one axis over another.

2.     The positions of countries in the Arab League are good, as well as some countries in the region. The Palestinian cause needs more momentum in order to strengthen the position against normalization.

3.     The Iraqi-Palestinian relations are historical and good relations, and Iraq is supportive of the rights of the Palestinian people, and the Iraqi position against normalization is clear.

4.     Some countries in the region, which desire normalization, must reconsider its position, because Israel targets them through normalization, by making these countries following and help it, whether they know it or not, to implement its agenda in the region.

5.     The Palestinian forces must meet and unite, and thus have the power on the ground to impose their opinion on any negotiations in which the Palestinian side is a party.

6.     The American side should be objective and neutral towards the Palestinian question, because it is the only one capable of imposing anything on Israel, and not siding with the Israeli side and following a policy of double standards.

7.     Diplomatic and political service is the most appropriate for the Palestinian question, and the military solution, in this period, involves losses, moreover, it is not useful for resolving important issues.

8.     The solution of the Palestinian question must be on Palestinian land, and the Palestinian position is clear that no solution outside the Palestinian land is accepted at all.