Important Political Determinations in American Policy on the Palestinian Issue

The Biden-Harris-Blinken administration cannot continue to ignore Palestinian rights amid Israel’s escalation of aggression against Islamic and Christian sanctuaries as the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque are turned into sites of religious conflict. As of the month of Ramadan, a great number of Palestinians had been killed, and hundreds were wounded by Israeli forces, which used live ammunition against protesters, raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque and fired tear gas as well as sound bombs at Palestinian worshippers. Israel also arrested and detained hundreds of mosque attendees without charges or trial in clear violation of international law and current legal regulations in Jerusalem. There must be pressure on the occupying government of Israel to stop its attacks. Moreover, Palestinians need protection of their rights against a dangerous and racist occupation.

The U.S. administration’s failure to set political priorities and its pivot toward new political horizons has allowed the occupying government to infringe on all Palestinian rights and pursue a plan to occupy the entire West Bank. In fact, Israel is continuing its settlement program and imposing restrictions on freedom of worship. It also turned the conflict into a religious and private battle in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. Moreover, Israel has announced plans of a new Israeli takeover.

The international community’s position on the conflict is obvious. Furthermore, the United Nations has steadily noted the importance of returning to negotiations between Palestine and Israel as soon as possible. Yet, the current American administration has not responded, which means it has failed to halt the dangerous policies adopted under Donald Trump’s administration in dealing with the conflict in the region, specifically at the Palestinian-Israeli level. Such failure has given the occupying government a great opportunity to commit serious human rights violations in Palestine with impunity.

The current Israeli escalation and continued repression are a new challenge to Joe Biden’s administration and a reminder of its responsibilities. Therefore, the U.S. should take a clear position on evaluating American policy in the region, so that Biden’s administration can reestablish an approach to political strategy in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It should also implement legitimate international resolutions, and take the important decisions and steps about providing aid to the occupying government — especially military assistance — and immediately freeze construction of settlements and lift the siege on the Palestinian people as it finds a way to preserve Palestinian rights.