The
initiative proposed by France and endorsed by Britain and Germany aims to offer
additional protections for Israel but does not establish any conditions to
safeguard Palestinians against Israel's apartheid policies in the occupied
territories, its massacres in Gaza, the abuse of Palestinian prisoners, or the
growing number of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
If the initiative is implemented, the European trio will
align with their counterparts in Norway, Ireland, and Spain, who became the
latest group of European countries to recognize Palestine as a state earlier
this year. While the May decision drew fury from the Israeli regime, it failed
to stop the ongoing suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied
territories.
According to information gathered by the Tehran Times, White
House officials have expressed their support for the European plan as they view
it as a continuation of the 2020 Abraham Accords, which led to recognition of
Israel's sovereignty over Palestinian territories by some Arab and African
nations, including the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.
Saudi
Arabia was on the verge of joining the accords before the outbreak of the
latest round of Israeli onslaughts in Gaza.
Some critics in Europe and the US have warned that even if
Iran were to acknowledge Israel and distance itself from the resistance, Israel
would not be granted the security it desires. Rather, the move would reinforce
the regime's unlawful practices and hinder any prospects for a genuine peace
process. They highlight that the Abraham Accords did not stop the successful
Hamas operation on October 7, when Palestinian fighters seized control of
several Israeli settlements for hours and took some Israelis to Gaza.
Sources
have told the Tehran Times that voices averse to the initiative believe Western
leaders should recognize and respect Palestinians’ rights, instead of turning
to regional countries to strengthen Israel’s hand.
The Tehran Times understands that besides the perceived
impracticality and ineffectiveness of the initiative, some in Europe and the
United States also believe that Iran is highly unlikely to acquiesce to
Europe's demands.
Nevertheless, the leaders of France, Germany, and Britain
intend to promote the initiative in the future as a way to vindicate themselves
following months of intense criticism regarding their support for Israel’s
devastating campaign in Gaza.
Europe
intends to throw the ball in Iran’s court and blame it for the crisis in Gaza
after Tehran rejects the initiative, the Tehran Times was informed. Rather than
a genuine attempt at peace, Europe’s proposed recognition of Palestine is a
calculated move to shift blame onto Iran.
In the past 10 months, over 40,000 Palestinians have lost
their lives as a direct result of Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave. War
experts say at least 100,000 more people will end up losing their lives, due to
the complete decimation of medical centers in Gaza, as well as an acute
shortage of food, clean water, and medicine.
