‘Normalisation first, even if it kills me’ – MBS

Alameen Templeton

Saudi crown prince Muhammad bin Salman is determined to continue pursuing “normalisation” with Israel – with or without Palestinian statehood – even if it kills him, Politico reports Thursday.
The magazine says in Salman is living in fear of his life because Israel is showing no interest in resolving the issue of Palestinian statehood while the “normalisation” discussions continue, despite the Gaza genocide.
But continue they must: “The discussions have been weighty and serious, but one takeaway, the people said, is that the crown prince, often referred to as MBS, appears intent on striking the mega-deal with the U.S. and Israel despite the risks involved. He sees it as crucial to his country’s future,” it adds.
Politico says Bin Salman has taken to comparing himself in talks with US leaders to slain Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat who was killed by his own soldiers in 1981 after signing the “Camp David Accords” with Israel.
“He also has discussed the threats he faces in explaining why any such a deal must include a true path to a Palestinian state — especially now that the war in Gaza has heightened Arab fury toward Israel,” Politico reports.
So, even genocide won’t dissuade Bin Salman from the course he has chosen, just as it has not caused any of the other “normalisation” participants to pause for a rethink.
“Surprisingly, the top players involved did not abandon the bargain — viewing it as critical to the region’s long-term stability. Some of the offers on the table, however, have had to change,” Politico notes.
The biggest change is recognition, if not heartfelt acceptance, of Palestinians’ right to statehood. Ultimately, according to the International Court of Justice, the final decider will be if Palestinians are able to enjoy real self-determination in whatever form of Palestinian state that emerges.
That still remains a stumbling block for the US because Palestinians are overwhelmingly supportive of Hamas, rather than hand-picked stooges from the shadowlands of Fatah’s ranks. So, true self-determination with a free vote will only result in a return to 2006, when Hamas swept free and fair elections.
It’s a bizarre repeat of 1848 and the birth of Israel – the US seems determined to force through Israel-first policies, irrespective of how ordinary Palestinians feel about them.
“This is typical of the ‘low-grade’ democracy the US likes to foist on weaker nations standing in the way of its imperial agenda. You get two types of democracy in the world, according to the White House – free-vote choices for white nations and US stooges for the rest. Normalisation is just lining up to be a repeat of the 1948 Nakba,” one political analyst told Markaz Sahaba.
That concern will resonate with younger people in Saudi Arabia, many of whom are witnessing a full-out confrontation with Nazi Israel for the first time in their lives and that has Bin Salman worried, Politico reports.
“He has a very young population that has been in many ways energized, galvanized by the first major conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that many of them have seen in their lives. It doesn’t take being inside his head to understand that this would be weighing on him,” a second senior Biden administration official told Politico.
The magazine ventured to suggest Bin Salman has emphasised the risks he’s taking in staying with normalisation in order to try persuade Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stick his toe into the ceasefire water.
It may all be futile, Politico concludes: “It’s far from clear, then, if MBS’ strategy of emphasising the risk he’s taking will convince Netanyahu that he, too, should take a risk.
“And it would be a risk. Another Middle Eastern figure assassinated for pursuing peace was Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
“Still, both MBS and the U.S. are likely hoping that Netanyahu will ask himself what’s best for his country in the long run, not just in the traumatic now.”