"If the Palestinian battle becomes a battle of life or death, we are taking our enemies down with us"
Excerpt of an editorial by the official PA daily
Headline: “The geography of the Middle East is the geography of Palestine”
“We think… that the current American administration – after it has become completely clear that it is Zionist – is striving through [US] President Donald Trump’s [peace] deal (see note below –Ed.) not only to eliminate the Palestinian cause, but also to redesign the region through normalization, and this is in the framework of ‘The New Middle East’ that [former Israeli President] Shimon Peres spoke about and espoused in the 1990s! This is a Middle East that has no connection to Arabness – not in everything concerning identity, not in everything concerning history, and naturally also not in everything concerning the future! …
If we’re speaking objectively, it may be that this ‘New Middle East’ has a train, but this train will not be able to reach where it wants to, even if the states that are carrying out normalization [with Israel] (see note below –Ed.) will increase and spread out for it like a track. In the end, it will be nothing but a track of regret, because simply put, it is a track of delusions, since this Middle East has no possible track that is open for movement other than the Palestinian track, and also because the geography of the Middle East today – and specifically the political geography – is the geography of Palestine with its cause, the sacrifices of its people, their resolve, their struggles, and their aspirations. [Palestine] will not allow the train to pass over it without being the one directing the tracks of this train so that it will continue in the direction of its safe station, the one that has no [foreign] hegemony, subjugation, or Israelization, but rather security, peace, and stability…
We are explaining this fact in order to debunk the misleading claim that we are the ones who are squandering the opportunity for peace, which those who are normalizing [their relations with Israel] are talking about, and also to emphasize that we are in favor of any realistic and actual opportunity for peace, if it will grow skin and bones on the basis of the international institutions’ resolutions (refers to former Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Bandar bin Sultan’s criticism of the Palestinian leadership for squandering opportunities in an interview with Al-Arabiya TV in early October 2020 –Ed.)…
Let the American administration and those doing its bidding not be deluded that it is possible to erase the strong Palestinian number from the equation of the conflict, whether by alternatives (!!) [parentheses in source] or by other means. This is because the option of 'I’m taking my enemies down with me’ remains a Palestinian option regarding which there is no disagreement, if the battle becomes a battle of life or death.The meaning of ‘I’m taking my enemies down with me’ will only be as follows: Either peace for everyone, or anarchy, violence, and instability.We have always emphasized, and we still emphasize: ‘Either [we will receive] Palestine, or a fire [will burn] generation after generation.’”
The Trump peace plan – US President Donald Trump announced his Israel–Palestinian peace plan "Peace to Prosperity" – commonly known as “the deal of the century” - on Jan. 28, 2020. Main points of the plan: 1- Israeli sovereignty would be applied to the Jordan Valley and all Israeli towns and cities in the West Bank. 2- Jerusalem, including all its holy sites, would remain under Israeli sovereignty with accommodations made to enable access for Palestinians. 3- The remainder of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and part of what is currently Israeli land in the Negev, the Galilee, and Jerusalem - creating a territory almost equal in size to the West Bank and Gaza Strip - would form the Palestinian state, with its capital in neighborhoods in East Jerusalem that are outside of Israel's security wall. 4- The Palestinian state would be demilitarized, with Israel responsible for external security and controlling all airspace. 5- All Palestinian prisoners except murderers, and those who attempted or conspired to murder would be released. 6- Palestinians in refugee camps would be absorbed into their host countries and, subject to certain limitations, into the Palestinian state. 7- Before becoming a state, the Palestinians would have to carry out extensive reform of their laws and institutions, including implementing a new governing system; granting its people due process and basic human rights and freedoms; end all incitement to and incentivizing of terror; end all glorification of terror and martyrdom; disarm Hamas; and adopt a culture promoting peace. The goal of the plan is to create a Palestinian state beside Israel, living in peace and security. The implementation would be facilitated through extensive international investment.