Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine not dead yet

The rejection of the Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine Solution (HKOPS) by Jordan's King Abdullah and PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas - coming only 15 months after HKOPS was first published - could actually make it easier for Saudi Arabia and Israel to agree upon the terms of its implementation as well as facilitate negotiating the terms for normalizing the Saudi-Israel relationship.

Abdullah and Abbas have agreed - in a tripartite agreement with Egypt - that the two-state solution – creating an independent state between Israel and Jordan in accordance with United Nations resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative – is the only solution to end the Jewish-Arab conflict.

Their agreement amounts to a total rejection of HKOPS – which proposes the creation of a new territorial entity comprising Jordan, Gaza and part of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) – to be ruled by the Hashemites - with its capital being located in Amman – not Jerusalem.

HKOPS was published on 8 June 2022 in the Saudi Government-controlled Al Arabiya News and subsequently amended - apparently with the consent of King Abdullah and Mahmoud Abbas – but the amended version remains unpublished.

What brought King Abdullah and Mahmoud Abbas to reject HKOPS at this particular point in time is a matter of speculation. No reasons were given by either of them for endorsing the failed the two- state solution in El Alamein.

However in rejecting HKOPS – they have made it easier for Saudi Arabia and Israel to negotiate a model they both agree on for implementing HKOPS – that they both can accept as the basis for resolving the Jewish-Arab conflict – without having to get Abdullah and Abbas to agree to at this point in time.

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman has made it clear that the Palestinians cannot be left behind in any normalization deal with Israel:

The Palestinian issue was and remains the central issue for Arab countries, and it is at the top of the kingdom's priorities...

Negotiating the terms of a model to implement HKOPS that both Saudi Arabia and Israel have endorsed – will give Jordan, the PLO - and even Hamas - the opportunity:

• to stay with the two-state solution - that still remains unimplemented more than 20 years after it was first proposed in 2002 by Saudi Arabia and the Arab Peace Initiative
• to accept the Saudi-Israel model for HKOPS - with any suggested amendments that Jordan, the PLO or Hamas might want to make that would be acceptable to both Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Importantly it would not preclude Saudi Arabia and Israel normalizing their relationship whilst HKOPS remains unimplemented and unresolved.

Saudi Arabia and Israel would be able to advance their negotiations for normalizing their relationship in consultation with President Biden who is anxious to see such a deal concluded within twelve months.

Whilst Biden continues to support the two-state solution – he would find it very difficult to reject HKOPS as a substitute solution for the two-state solution if Saudi Arabia and Israel have already agreed on the model for its implementation and are negotiating with Jordan, the PLO and Hamas on its terms.

Middle East diplomacy works in mysterious ways.

Preserving Palestinian claims to elect choosing to pursue the two-state solution or replace it with the HKOPS model agreed on by Saudi Arabia and Israel - whilst not holding up negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Israel on normalizing their relationship – could just be the latest example.

If so – well done to whoever came up with this neat solution to keep negotiations alive to resolve the Arab-Jewish conflict.

The Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine solution has a long way to run before being officially declared dead and buried.