Writer, political analyst, and director of the Al-Quds Center for Political Studies, Oraib Rentawi, stressed the need to look at the Palestinian Cause from a modernist perspective that takes the current developments into account to understand political contexts, pointing out that the Palestinian Cause is on the threshold of “radical change”, and therefore it is important to arm ourselves with modern science and creativity and propose future solutions and policies to confront the measures imposed by the Israeli occupation.
During the seminar “Developments in the Local and Regional Political Scene and the Gaza War”, held by the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, Rentawi explained that there is an unspoken bet on reaching a comprehensive prisoner exchange deal, as a result of which Marwan Barghouti will be freed, on whom hopes are pinned to end the division and reunite the Palestinian factions.
Rentawi pointed out in the seminar, which comes within the framework of the Palestinian Cause, and within the first group of a series of seminars that will be held successively to follow up on, record, and document the developments of the war, that the war in Palestine has brought the Palestinian cause back in the limelight, and it has become the focus of the whole world, especially in the West and among the young generation, considering that this is a positive development that’s worth contemplating, and which means the victory of the Palestinian will to restore its rights and land, protect its people, and expel the malicious occupying enemy.
Internationally, Rentawi believed that Gaza has become the arena from which the “new world” will be produced after making sure among all international, regional, and societal ranks that the Palestinian liberation process and the right of return are still the most important for the Palestinian people.
Regionally, there will be a rearrangement of the Middle East cards and the creation of new Arab understandings, according to Rentawi, who also affirms that the path of normalization will collapse and recede after the end of the war because “it is not worth it.”
The researcher called for the importance of Arab initiatives and moves in this war, especially since the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the Western support for it has posed questions about the fate of the region, and the cards that Arab diplomacy, and Jordanian in particular, could play.
On the humanitarian pause agreement and its entry into force for a period of four days, with the possibility of extension, through joint mediation efforts between Egypt, Qatar, and the United States of America, Rentawi said that “the truce is the beginning of victory for the Palestinian resistance, so it is important to form an inclusive national Palestinian leadership framework to manage the next stage and to provide a political safety net for Palestinians and the national project, and the first step towards this would be concerting efforts on the Palestinian, Arab, and international levels.”
As for Jordan’s political discourse, Rentawi advised the government to develop a media strategy to address the people as there is a “void that should not persist,” and that they should explain to people what is happening and what Jordan is doing, noting that this must come from the decision-makers themselves.
Furthermore, Rentawi stressed that history before the last war on Palestine will not be the same after it, and that we are approaching major political events and developments that are causing all parties affected by the Palestinian Cause to be vigilant, apprehensive, and scared, and that this war will have wide-ranging geopolitical repercussions.
For her part, CEO of ARDD, Samar Mohareb, who moderated the seminar, saw that the recent events have raised many questions, inquiries, and proposals, especially given their deep effects and local, regional, and international calculations that will appear either in the short or long term, which requires efforts at all levels and the concerted efforts of institutions, organizations, governments, research centers, and studies in support of the Palestinian Cause.
The participants agreed that what is happening in Palestine has reactivated Arab and Western support for the Palestinians. Hence, it is necessary for countries and their governments to realize the next stage and interact with it strongly and cleverly, as the Palestinians must formulate their alternatives and actively contribute to building their future, preserving their cause and rights, and imposing the Palestinian agenda at the top of the international agenda.
