In a brainstorming session, Arab youth exchanged various ideas regarding the feasibility of normalization and its effects on the Palestinian cause and Arab countries, and their opinions varied between supporters and opponents.
In the first episode of the “Bab Dialogue” program, which is broadcast on the “Tel Aviv Tribune 360” platform, the program’s guests expressed different points of view.
Cartoonist Mahmoud Abbas led the viewpoint of those opposing normalization, saying that normalizers have not gained anything, citing the cases of Egypt and Jordan.
He added, “Egypt 50 years ago was compared to Turkey and Malaysia, but today its economic situation is very bad, and Jordan, despite the peace agreements, has not fulfilled the promises made to it.”
Emirati writer and humanitarian activist Haya Al Shatti agreed with this view, stressing that so far no country has benefited economically or politically from normalization. She stressed that the Palestinian issue is a humanitarian and historical issue, and that it is impossible to abandon it.
For his part, Moroccan content creator Youssef Abbou confirmed this position, pointing out that what is currently happening in Gaza is the best evidence of the failure of normalization.
He called for remembering the Arab peoples’ position in support of Palestine during the World Cup in Qatar, stressing that normalization will have no meaning unless it leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
material benefit
On the other hand, Lebanese academic and political researcher Iman Shuwaikh offers another vision, saying that the countries that sought normalization were not looking for material benefit as much as they were trying to find a formula to achieve justice for the Palestinians and stop the violence. However, she added that things are still the same, stressing the need for two parallel paths: peaceful resistance and negotiations.
Sultan Al-Ajlouni, a researcher in Israeli affairs from Jordan, presented a different point of view, as he believes that there are those who benefited from normalization, but on a personal level. He said, “Some of the representatives who approved the peace agreement became prime ministers or ministers,” but he stressed that this benefit was only material, and that society did not benefit.
From another perspective, Lebanese writer and political analyst Rami Naim points out that the Arab countries that normalized relations with Israel benefited from solving some internal security problems.
But he draws attention to the complexities of the situation, citing the case of Lebanon, which cannot seek normalization in light of the normalization of the major Arab countries responsible for the Palestinian issue.
To watch the full episode, you can follow it via this link on the Tel Aviv Tribune 360 platform.
