Arab Summit helps Trump break Jordan-PLO-Israeli impasse

The 29th Arab Summit concluded in Dhahran on 15 April has presented President Trump with a wonderful opportunity to circumvent the Palestine Liberation Organisation's (PLO) refusal to consider Trump's eagerly-awaited proposals to end the Arab-Jewish conflict.

The Summit's final communique identified the followingissue as its primary concern:

We reaffirm that the Palestine Cause is the entire Arab nation's main priority, stressing the Arab identity of occupied East Al-Quds as the capital of the State of Palestine.

Use of the term "Palestine Cause" rather than "Palestinian cause" indicates the Arab world now intends focusing on recovering territory lost in the 1967 Six Day War without necessarily creating another Palestinian Arab state – in addition to Jordan - in former Palestine.

This interpretation is further reinforced by the Dhahran Communique itself which states::

The conflict could be ended through a two-state solution that guarantees the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the borders of 4 July 1967 with East Al-Quds as its capital.

The use of the words " could be ended… " is highly significant in the context of this long-running conflict where every word uttered is invariably scrutinised and analysed in great detail.

The Summit's declared "two-state solution" - pressed for the last 25 years by the PLO and the Arab League and endorsed by the United Nations and the European Union as the only solution to end the Arab-Jewish conflict – is now being seen by the Arab world as just one possible solution.

The following statement in the Dhahran Communique furthersubstantiates the above conclusions:

We consider the Jordanian authorities as the only body in charge of the administration, maintenance and access to Al-Aqsa Mosque.

This unequivocal Arab endorsement of Jordan challenges the PLO having any future control or influence in the most sensitive area of crucial concern to the Islamic world - the Moslem holy sites in Jerusalem.

Jordan has maintained its presence in Jerusalem as Islamic Holy Shrines Custodian for the last 24 years as a result of the 1994 Peace Agreement between Jordan and Israel – article 9 declaring: