The Trump administration has pushed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to take a step that no ally has ever taken before-abandoning and distancing himself from the U.S. role. Abbas declared that the U.S. had lost its neutrality and thus its eligibility as a sponsor of peaceful negotiations. In response, the Trump administration closed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) office in Washington, moving further away from being a neutral mediator and becoming more "Israeli" than the Israelis themselves.

This public rift between Abbas and Trump is the result of a systematic effort by Trump and his pro-Israeli team to destroy the basic foundations of the Palestinian cause. The first step was removing Jerusalem from the negotiating table and recognizing it as the unified and eternal capital of Israel, in blatant contradiction to international law, which considers the city occupied, and to Arab and Palestinian peace agreements, which consider East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

The decision sparked outrage, not only in the Arab and Muslim world, but also among Europeans and elsewhere. It also made Palestinians lose faith in the role and neutrality of the American mediator.

The second step was the suspension of US financial aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which amounted to $365 million. This threatened to collapse the support system that has helped Palestinian refugees survive for more than half a century, and shifted the burden to host countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, which are already suffering from economic crises.

To add insult to injury, the Trump administration cut aid even to Palestinian hospitals, but - on Israel's recommendation - maintained support for the Palestinian security forces, turning the PA into a security tool in the hands of the occupation, while offering its people almost nothing in return.

The Trump administration has played a dangerous game exploiting the ambitions of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince of the UAE, to play a regional role beyond his country's size, and Mohammed bin Salman, who has bypassed his uncles and cousins to become the next king of Saudi Arabia. These two leaders have played a controversial role in the Palestinian issue. Mohammed bin Zayed is believed to have transferred Palestinian real estate within the Old City of Jerusalem to Israeli Jews, helping to enshrine a Jewish majority within the city's walls. This has sparked widespread Palestinian resentment towards the Emirati leadership.

Mohammed bin Salman pressured Abbas to be softer on Trump's plan to liquidate the Palestinian cause. He also tried to pressure Jordan over Jerusalem, insinuating that Saudi Arabia, as the protector of the Two Holy Mosques, is entitled to custody of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, angering the Jordanians, who derive much of their political legitimacy from their custodianship of Jerusalem's holy sites. However, they could not openly express their anger due to their need for Saudi economic support. As a result, King Abdullah met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan four times in one year and began to improve his relations with Iran, which was seen more as a threat than a message.

Palestinians may have rejoiced when the scandal involving Mohammed bin Salman's assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi came to light. For them and others in the region, his removal as crown prince could mark the beginning of a series of changes in the Middle East, and more broadly in the world, especially in Israel and the United States. Mohammed bin Salman is the key player in the implementation of the "deal of the century." His removal could mean the end of this deal, and perhaps also the fall of his Israeli ally Benjamin Netanyahu and his American patron Donald Trump.

Although Mahmoud Abbas has many shortcomings, he is considered one of the most experienced Arab politicians and is known for his stubbornness. Although he does not hold many cards, he knows very well that it will be very difficult for the Americans and Israelis to do without him, because there is no other Palestinian leader capable of doing what he has done. If he steps down, the Palestinian cause will be handed over to Hamas, something that no one, especially the Arab regimes, seems to want.

But Abbas also has concerns about Hamas. He fears that Israel will undermine his authority by recognizing Hamas rule in Gaza. Although Hamas agrees with him on the importance of unity in the West Bank and Gaza, he fears that the Palestinian state he has dreamed of all his life, for which he has sacrificed everything, will turn into an isolated patch of land under Hamas rule, as Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett recently stated.

It is tragic that the Palestinians are forced to await their salvation and downfall from the same party - the United States. On the one hand, there is the "Deal of the Century" that aims to end their national dreams of an independent state. On the other hand, it may be the same party that will bring down the godfather of the deal and his allies.
Source: Middle East Monitor