Let the two-state solution be the gold standard

WHEN the United Arab Emirates (UAE) fully recognised Israel as a state this year, the most basic condition attached was that Israel should cease and desist from any settlement activities in the West Bank.

However, it was not specified when this would happen on the ground, merely stated as an aspiration.

There are more than 650,000 Jewish settlers staying in the occupied land of Palestine that was wrested from King Hussein of Jordan in the Six Day War in 1967.

If the settlers already consider the occupied land their home – and this is against the Geneva Convention – the UAE’s action amounts to agreeing to and rewarding the action of the Likud government, especially the coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The fact is that since the Madrid Dialogue in 1990, which was approved by US President George H. Bush, with the consent of then Prime Minister Izhak Shamir, a two-state solution has always been the objective.

The Spanish process, which was facilitated by Prof Herbert Kelman of Harvard University, could not make any headway. Kelman invited scholars and government officials from both sides to speak in their private, albeit semi-official, capacity on what was otherwise known as a Track 2 Dialogue, a field explored in great detail by Phar Kim Beng, a former Harvard Teaching Fellow from 1998-2001.

When confidence was gained by both sides, the Norwegian government took over to sponsor the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, leading to the 1994 Oslo Peace Accord signed between the late Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin and chairman Yasser Arafat, who represented the People's Liberation Organisation (PLO).

However, Netanyahu, who has won five elections in Israel, has never taken the Oslo Accord seriously.

If the UAE does not understand the peril of the peace process, especially how brittle it can be, it should not unilaterally recognise Israel. There are three dire strategic implications.

First, the ultraconservative elements in Iran now considers the UAE a "legitimate target" for attacks. This is not healthy for dynamics in the region.

Secondly, Turkey, which is also against the plan, will likely lobby members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) to challenge the leadership of the United States and Israel to hamper any progress.

This will create a split in Nato at a time when it is already very weak due to the absence of American leadership.

Finally, if UAE works with the United States and Israel, the much sought-after Muslim unity will fray – not that it hasn't already. The Muslim world will begin to question the legitimacy of the global order.

A two-state solution is the only gold standard that can satisfy the Palestinians and all those who have witnessed their displacement.

Dr Rais Hussin is a supreme council member of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and chairman of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).