Hebron Sheikhs Could Join Abraham Accords in another Major Middle East Shake-Up

While Middle East peace was certainly on the menu of things that President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu planned to talk about Monday evening, the biggest surprise may be who’s asking for it. In a stunning plot twist to the ongoing drama in Israel, a group of five sheikhs in the city of Hebron are proposing to leave the Palestinian Authority (PA) and join the Abraham Accords. “If we will get the blessing of honorable President Trump and the United States for this project, Hebron could be like the Gulf, like Dubai,” Wadee’ al-Jaabari told The Wall Street Journal in a blockbuster story.

The ancient land of Hebron, where David was first anointed king — and which served as Israel’s capital before moving to Jerusalem — is rich with biblical and regional history. But the idea that this area, part of the so-called West Bank, would secede from the grip of the Palestinian governing structure and link arms with Israel seems almost inconceivable to some. And yet, the sheikhs’ letter, which was sent to Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat, was witnessed by the WSJ’s own Elliot Kaufman, who broke the groundbreaking news.

“We want cooperation with Israel,” Jaabari insisted, raising the eyebrows of many in the Jewish state, who feel like they’ve been down this road before. As Kaufman points out, “The leader of Hebron’s most influential clan has said such things before, as did his father. But this time is different,” he writes. Their call for “co-existence” is accompanied by a pledge to fully recognize Israel and create a distinct Emirate of Hebron.

After more than 30 years, the sheikhs insist that the Oslo Accords, which created and acknowledged the Palestinian Authority as the “legitimate representatives” of the Palestinian people, “only brought damage, death, economic disaster and destruction.” To them, the PA — which they call “corrupt” — has wrongly rebuffed the “traditional, authentic local leadership” that their clans have represented. “Nobody in Israel believes in the PA,” the letter’s recipient admitted, “and you won’t find many Palestinians who do either. Sheikh Jaabari wants peace with Israel and to join the Abraham Accords, with the support of his fellow sheikhs. Who in Israel is going to say no?”

There’s also a growing realization that a “two-state solution” is almost certainly off the table after Hamas’s attack. “There will be no Palestinian state,” Jaabari conceded, “not even in 1,000 years. After October 7, Israel will not give it.” It’s time, he argues, for “new thinking.” Other Hebron sheikhs who signed the letter but remain anonymous, blasted the PA and its parent group, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), as out of touch. “To think only about making a Palestinian state will bring us all to disaster.”

“The PLO called itself a liberation movement. But once they got control, they act only to steal the money of the people,” another said. “They don’t have the right to represent us — not them and not Hamas, only we ourselves.” In frustration, the group talked about the oppression their city has endured under the grip of the PA, which they claim steals their water, taxes the people, and keeps them from earning decent wages.

As far as these leaders are concerned, the greatest proof that this system of Palestinian rule has failed for the last 33 years is Hamas — which cares nothing about the traditional customs and beliefs of the people, only radical Islam. Hebron, they argue, is “much more conservative.” It would make the perfect “test case” for this idea of the emirates if other cities in the historic region of Judea and Samaria want to follow and normalize relations with Israel.

Of course, there are practical concerns — and Netanyahu is rumored to be taking a cautious approach, both because of past disappointments and very legitimate questions. “How do you deal with dozens of different families, each of them armed, each under its own control?” wondered retired Major General Gadi Shamni of the IDF.

The backdrop to all of this, interestingly enough, is the debate over the West Bank itself — an area of land that conservative U.S. leaders are lobbying to restore to its original name of Judea and Samaria. In fact, in the U.S. House, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) has even introduced language requiring that all American documents and materials recognize this area as Judea and Samaria, the heartland of Israel, a place where over 80% of what we read in the Bible took place. When Arabs talk about the two-state “solution,” this is the region they want Israel to surrender. So this attempt to blot out the ancient name only undermines the Jewish state’s historic sovereignty in the region.

Just this past week, members of Netanyahu’s Likud party called for the prime minister to apply Israeli law “immediately on Judea and Samaria.” Pointing to the deep seed of anti-Semitism, violence, and hostility that was allowed to grow in Gaza, the ministers warn that these “settlement blocks” pose a real and deadly threat to Israel. “The task must be completed … and another massacre in the heart of the country must be prevented.” The era of “land for peace,” Family Research Council President Tony Perkins warned, is over.

So the sheikhs’ campaign for peace, which they insist includes a solemn vow to fight terrorism, comes at an interesting time — not just for Netanyahu’s country, which is at a crossroads, but also for Donald Trump. The driving force behind improbable peace deals, the president has proven that he’s capable of getting people to the table and shaking up the status quo in ways the world has never seen.

Could that happen here? U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, in Saturday’s sit-down with Perkins on “This Week on Capitol Hill,” wouldn’t be surprised. “Because of President Trump’s leadership and the stage that he’s already set for [peace], I think the world is going to be … shocked and surprised to see the Abraham Accords move forward dramatically. And,” he added, “with a great depth and breadth. It’s very likely that you’re going to see a number of nations that have historically been very hostile to Israel sign agreements of normalization, trade, tourism, [and] diplomatic relationships.” It will be, the ambassador reiterated, “far more expansive than what we saw in the first term of President Trump.”

And while the two men weren’t specifically addressing Hebron, the reality, Huckabee said, is that “with this president, I always want to be optimistic, because when the world is thinking nothing will move, nothing will happen … it’s almost like President Trump knows how to pull a rabbit out of the hat and make the trick work. So I always am approaching his sense of diplomacy with a great deal of optimism.”

Also optimistic? Sheikh Jaabari. When Kaufman asked if he’s concerned about pushback from the Palestinian people about his plans, he blew it off. “The betrayal was done in Oslo. You forgot, but I remember — 33 years of it.” He paused. “I believe in my path. There will be obstacles,” he conceded, “but if we confront a rock, we will have iron to break it.”

AUTHOR

Suzanne Bowdey

Suzanne Bowdey serves as editorial director and senior writer at The Washington Stand.

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