Any country which seeks to formally establish diplomatic relations with Palestine at the expense of "Israel", will be met with a befitting response from the Zionist, fascist, Netanyahu administration. As Palestinian officials warmly welcomed their first Saudi Ambassador, Nayef al-Sudairi who expanded his credentials from simply being the Kingdom’s Ambassador to Jordan to consul general in occupied al-Quds, "Israel’s" response was a harsh rebuke of diplomatic outreach, plenty of censure and diabolical castigation. It simply ruled out any possibility of a diplomatic base in occupied Al-Quds which has long been the just goal of the Palestinian people to find a state in the occupied territories since 1967. This rebuke from "Israel" is yet another example of its systematic campaign to strip off an occupied population from international recognition. 

The Zionist regime’s Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen expressed "Israel’s" official disapproval of establishing a diplomatic mission in the Eastern part of occupied Al-Quds. This mirrors the Donald Trump administration’s strategy of normalizing the occupation, settlements and apartheid by declaring occupied Al-Quds as the capital of "Israel" in December 2017. The result of this recognition was outrage in the Arab world and the international community over how a right-wing white supremacist, Trump adopted a myopic strategy and openly flouted United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 which notes "Israel’s" non-compliance with UNSC resolution 476. The latter resolution condemned "Israel’s" attempted annexation of the Eastern part of occupied Al-Quds while 478 denounced the "1980 Jerusalem Law" which declares the whole of occupied Al-Quds to be the capital of "Israel". Netanyahu is simply repeating the playbook. 

Much of the 2017 Trump blunder coupled with far-right Zionist zealots pushing for the elimination of Palestinians, is on show in 2023. For Palestine, the opening of a Saudi consulate in the Eastern part of occupied Al-Quds is a repudiation of the Trump plan which was to isolate the occupied population internationally, build bridges between Arab states and a fascist dispensation, and brandish Washington D.C.’s peace credentials. That was clearly met with limited success, however, the ferocity of the occupied forces against a besieged population only intensified. In the months of June and July 2023 only, 25 Palestinians including 5 children were killed while 249 others were injured. Similarly, in the Jenin refugee camp alone, multiple drone strikes and over 1,000 occupier troops massacred 12 Palestinians including 4 children. 

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Hence, any ray of hope for the Palestinians became largely compromised with the Biden administration doing little to reverse the toxic legacy of its predecessor and in many ways endorsed it. For the Palestinian people, any solution rests with its diplomatic recognition, an end to the occupation, withdrawal of settlements, and guaranteeing its just right to determination. Establishing a diplomatic mission in the Eastern part of occupied Al-Quds provides the besieged leadership with the space to negotiate and conduct diplomacy to try and navigate through the occupation. Bassam Al Agha, the Palestinian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia described the appointment of Al-Sudairi as Riyadh’s affirmation of Palestinian statehood and a rejection of the Trump doctrine. The far-right dispensation, however, remains adamant that even the slightest attempts to reconcile with the Palestinians and have their voices heard must be throttled completely. Al Agha’s comments stand in stark contrast to Cohen’s narrative suggesting that the Saudi’s want to relay a message to the Palestinians that they have not been forgotten. 

The truth is that the Palestinian struggle should never be forgotten. Zionism both institutionalized or otherwise, right-wing or secular is preventing the smooth progression of international engagement to resolve the decades-long struggle for independence. Palestinian leaders have constantly been demonized at the United Nations for being disruptors of peace while in actuality there needs to be acknowledgment of the role state-sponsored Zionism has played in disrupting peace. Opening up channels of communication and strategically conveying the Palestinian narrative to important countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran remains crucial and any attempt to thwart it should be condemned in the strongest of terms.  It is hence, clear that Zionism and far-right racism is preventing diplomacy to flourish in Palestine. "Israel" remains a major roadblock to any just solution to the Palestine issue even if that means taking incremental steps towards engagement and eventual recognition as an independent state free of occupation. 

The optimism on the Palestine side since the announcement was palpable, with President Mahmoud Abbas’s adviser Majdi al-Khalidi considering Al Sudairi’s appointment as an important step in consolidating strong brotherly relations between the two sides that bind the two countries and the two populations together. However, much of this has been dampened by the practical obstacles of opening up a diplomatic mission in the Eastern part of occupied Al-Quds. 

Should "Israel" get away with any workable solutions toward peace is a question that the international community must mull over. The US-led world order remains largely silent despite the anti-globalist and anti-peace orientation of the occupying force. The United States has offered little except expressing minor irritations over the Netanyahu regime’s excesses and has failed to put pressure on "Israel" through sanctions for gross human rights violations. Now as the door to diplomacy has opened up through Saudi Arabia, the United States is expected to denounce Israeli criticism as unjust. It should not tread the same path of plausible deniability while urging for a peaceful solution as has been the case throughout its history. 

The truth is that the solution lies in the Palestinian narrative reigning supreme and diplomatic engagement remains an important conduit.