Palestinians trying to dig themselves out of isolation
It seems Palestinians are trying to get out of international and Arab isolation by taking a series of measures, including restoring ties with Israel and returning their ambassadors to the UAE and Bahrain, in anticipation of the Joe Biden administration’s arrival into office.
Scientists say animals have an internal clock that triggers a series of chemical reactions for them when it is time to wake up from a long hibernation. This might be the most appropriate metaphor for what is happening with the Palestinian leadership in recent days.
Once the electoral victory of Joe Biden as the next US president became clear, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his closest wing (led by intelligence chief Majed Faraj and Civil Affairs Minister Hussein Sheikh) went into action. It began with Hussein Sheikh announcing Nov. 17 that Palestinians will return to the status quo with the Israelis and renew security coordination. This was not a one-off statement, and two days later Sheik was holding a public meeting with his Israeli army counterpart, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Kamil Abu Rukun.
