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| Trump’s Shift to ‘Outside-In’ Strategy for Mideast Peace Is a Long Shot | Trump’s Shift to ‘Outside-In’ Strategy for Mideast Peace Is a Long Shot |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| HAMAD CITY, Gaza Strip — Wail al-Gatshan, 44, a mechanical engineer, is grateful for his new apartment here in a growing neighborhood in southern Gaza. For just $140 a month, there are separate bedrooms for his three girls and two boys, as well as a guest bathroom. | HAMAD CITY, Gaza Strip — Wail al-Gatshan, 44, a mechanical engineer, is grateful for his new apartment here in a growing neighborhood in southern Gaza. For just $140 a month, there are separate bedrooms for his three girls and two boys, as well as a guest bathroom. |
| The complex is being built by Qatar, the oil-rich Persian Gulf state that has stepped in repeatedly in recent years to help isolated, war-racked Gazans. But there are limits to Mr. Gatshan’s thankfulness. | The complex is being built by Qatar, the oil-rich Persian Gulf state that has stepped in repeatedly in recent years to help isolated, war-racked Gazans. But there are limits to Mr. Gatshan’s thankfulness. |
| “As a Palestinian, I would not support Qatar if they said they wanted a two-state solution,” he said. “I want my human rights. My rights are to live without any limits or restrictions and without occupiers.” | “As a Palestinian, I would not support Qatar if they said they wanted a two-state solution,” he said. “I want my human rights. My rights are to live without any limits or restrictions and without occupiers.” |
| When President Trump meets Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Washington on Wednesday, they are likely to discuss the role Arab states like Qatar could play in securing a two-state solution, under which Israel and an independent Palestinian state would live side-by-side in peace. | When President Trump meets Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Washington on Wednesday, they are likely to discuss the role Arab states like Qatar could play in securing a two-state solution, under which Israel and an independent Palestinian state would live side-by-side in peace. |
| The Trump administration plans to move away from a so-called inside-out strategy, in which a deal between Israel and the Palestinians would pave the way for normalization of relations between Israel and Arab countries. | |
| Instead, the new approach would be “outside-in,” meaning that Israel would first pursue agreements with Arab countries to help solve the conflict with the Palestinians. | |
| Such an approach has been tried before, without success, because of deep and nearly universal Arab opposition to Israel. And the realities on the ground make the likelihood of success seem more remote than ever. | Such an approach has been tried before, without success, because of deep and nearly universal Arab opposition to Israel. And the realities on the ground make the likelihood of success seem more remote than ever. |
| The Palestinians remain sharply divided: the Palestinian Authority, backed by the United States and European powers, governs parts of the West Bank, while Hamas, a militant Islamist movement committed to Israel’s destruction, rules the coastal Gaza Strip. | The Palestinians remain sharply divided: the Palestinian Authority, backed by the United States and European powers, governs parts of the West Bank, while Hamas, a militant Islamist movement committed to Israel’s destruction, rules the coastal Gaza Strip. |
| Israel’s government has moved steadily to the right, expanding settlements on land that the Palestinians and much of the rest of the world say should be part of a future Palestinian state. | Israel’s government has moved steadily to the right, expanding settlements on land that the Palestinians and much of the rest of the world say should be part of a future Palestinian state. |
| Given those realities, there is little that Arab countries can do to break the deadlock, especially at a time when uprisings and wars have left them focused on domestic affairs, said Oraib al-Rantawi, the director of the Quds Center for Political Studies in Jordan. | Given those realities, there is little that Arab countries can do to break the deadlock, especially at a time when uprisings and wars have left them focused on domestic affairs, said Oraib al-Rantawi, the director of the Quds Center for Political Studies in Jordan. |
| “What can Jordan or Egypt or Saudi Arabia do?” he said. “In the end, the occupation has to end or you will have no end to the conflict.” | “What can Jordan or Egypt or Saudi Arabia do?” he said. “In the end, the occupation has to end or you will have no end to the conflict.” |
| Historically, sympathy for the Palestinians and their quest for statehood was one of few unifying causes across the Arab world. Arab armies came together to wage wars against the Jewish state, and many governments later provided financial and military aid to armed Palestinian factions. | Historically, sympathy for the Palestinians and their quest for statehood was one of few unifying causes across the Arab world. Arab armies came together to wage wars against the Jewish state, and many governments later provided financial and military aid to armed Palestinian factions. |
| Even after the Oslo peace accords of 1993 led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority, most Arab countries rejected formal relations with Israel on principle, considering it a usurper of Arab land. Jordan and Egypt have peace treaties with Israel, but Israel remains unpopular with their citizens. | |
| But the prominence of the Palestinian issue in the Arab consciousness has waned in recent years, as the Arab state system has weakened because of popular uprisings and civil conflicts. | But the prominence of the Palestinian issue in the Arab consciousness has waned in recent years, as the Arab state system has weakened because of popular uprisings and civil conflicts. |
| Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Persian Gulf are bogged down in a war against Houthi rebels in Yemen and are increasingly worried about Iran’s influence — a strategic concern they share with Israel. | Saudi Arabia and its allies in the Persian Gulf are bogged down in a war against Houthi rebels in Yemen and are increasingly worried about Iran’s influence — a strategic concern they share with Israel. |
| Syria and Iraq, longtime enemies of Israel, have been locked in lengthy wars that have drained their governments’ resources and given them little time to focus on issues beyond their borders. | Syria and Iraq, longtime enemies of Israel, have been locked in lengthy wars that have drained their governments’ resources and given them little time to focus on issues beyond their borders. |
| Egypt, too, has turned inward, as its economy has worsened and a jihadist insurgency has taken root on the Sinai Peninsula. | Egypt, too, has turned inward, as its economy has worsened and a jihadist insurgency has taken root on the Sinai Peninsula. |
| “Care is there, but attention is not,” Mahmoud Yehia, an Egyptian lawmaker, said of the Palestinian cause. “People are dealing with all these new internal issues now, and they have been struggling economically for years and years before that.” | “Care is there, but attention is not,” Mahmoud Yehia, an Egyptian lawmaker, said of the Palestinian cause. “People are dealing with all these new internal issues now, and they have been struggling economically for years and years before that.” |
| Supporters of the outside-in approach say that the merging of interests between Israel and Arab states like Saudi Arabia and Egypt could provide an opening. | Supporters of the outside-in approach say that the merging of interests between Israel and Arab states like Saudi Arabia and Egypt could provide an opening. |
| But on-the-ground opposition in Arab countries would make it hard for even committed leadership to push toward a deal with Israel. | But on-the-ground opposition in Arab countries would make it hard for even committed leadership to push toward a deal with Israel. |
| Last year, a survey of attitudes across the Middle East by Zogby Research Services found that 41 percent of respondents in Egypt and 39 percent in Saudi Arabia considered the Israeli occupation “the greatest obstacle to regional peace,” surpassing any other issue. | Last year, a survey of attitudes across the Middle East by Zogby Research Services found that 41 percent of respondents in Egypt and 39 percent in Saudi Arabia considered the Israeli occupation “the greatest obstacle to regional peace,” surpassing any other issue. |
| So while Saudi and Egyptian leaders may collaborate with Israel privately on issues of shared interest, doing so publicly could incite a blowback from their populations. | So while Saudi and Egyptian leaders may collaborate with Israel privately on issues of shared interest, doing so publicly could incite a blowback from their populations. |
| For many Arabs, the sheer number of crises in the region leaves little energy left for the Palestinians. | For many Arabs, the sheer number of crises in the region leaves little energy left for the Palestinians. |
| “There is also a growing realization among people that the region is now very chaotic,” said H. A. Hellyer, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a research organization based in Washington. That causes “a sense of helplessness” toward the Palestinian issue. | “There is also a growing realization among people that the region is now very chaotic,” said H. A. Hellyer, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a research organization based in Washington. That causes “a sense of helplessness” toward the Palestinian issue. |
| The divisions among Palestinians also undermine support for their cause. | The divisions among Palestinians also undermine support for their cause. |
| “Even if they wanted to do something, they don’t know who they should support now,” Mr. Hellyer said. | “Even if they wanted to do something, they don’t know who they should support now,” Mr. Hellyer said. |
| Many Palestinians have given up altogether on the idea of a two-state solution. | Many Palestinians have given up altogether on the idea of a two-state solution. |
| A decade has passed since Palestinian infighting left the West Bank and Gaza under the control of competing administrations with opposing views of how the Palestinians should pursue statehood. | A decade has passed since Palestinian infighting left the West Bank and Gaza under the control of competing administrations with opposing views of how the Palestinians should pursue statehood. |
| Multiple rounds of talks have gained only limited benefit for the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, which supports a two-state solution, while Hamas’s dedication to its slogan of “resistance” seems as strong as ever. On Monday, it announced that Yehya Sinwar, a hard-line member of its military wing, had been chosen as its new Gaza leader. | Multiple rounds of talks have gained only limited benefit for the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, which supports a two-state solution, while Hamas’s dedication to its slogan of “resistance” seems as strong as ever. On Monday, it announced that Yehya Sinwar, a hard-line member of its military wing, had been chosen as its new Gaza leader. |
| Others felt that too much time had passed to expect that the West Bank and Gaza could again be brought under a single authority. | Others felt that too much time had passed to expect that the West Bank and Gaza could again be brought under a single authority. |
| “It’s impossible to have a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza,” said Ibrahim Madhoun, a columnist for the Hamas-affiliated newspaper Al Resala. “Now, Gaza is one thing and the West Bank is something else.” | “It’s impossible to have a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza,” said Ibrahim Madhoun, a columnist for the Hamas-affiliated newspaper Al Resala. “Now, Gaza is one thing and the West Bank is something else.” |
| Hamad City, where Mr. Gatshan lives with his family, is home to tidy shops, playgrounds and a mosque that will soon hold 3,000 people. A second wing of roughly 1,400 spacious units has just opened. But the Qatari initiative has risen on a potent symbol of deadlock. | Hamad City, where Mr. Gatshan lives with his family, is home to tidy shops, playgrounds and a mosque that will soon hold 3,000 people. A second wing of roughly 1,400 spacious units has just opened. But the Qatari initiative has risen on a potent symbol of deadlock. |
| Much of the land once belonged to an Israeli settlement, which was evacuated in 2005. Israel called it a move toward peace. Gazans said there should never have been settlers there in the first place. But Israelis complain bitterly that this showed that pulling back from settlements does not work: Militant groups, including Hamas, fired rockets into Israel. Three wars followed, from which the scars have hardly healed. | Much of the land once belonged to an Israeli settlement, which was evacuated in 2005. Israel called it a move toward peace. Gazans said there should never have been settlers there in the first place. But Israelis complain bitterly that this showed that pulling back from settlements does not work: Militant groups, including Hamas, fired rockets into Israel. Three wars followed, from which the scars have hardly healed. |
| Though Hamas has ended the fire in a truce, and largely controlled other groups who try to do so, some Israelis say a new war in Gaza is the only choice. | Though Hamas has ended the fire in a truce, and largely controlled other groups who try to do so, some Israelis say a new war in Gaza is the only choice. |
| Israel “cannot be the only country in the world where children cannot walk down the street without worrying that a missile will fall,” Naftali Bennett, a far-right lawmaker and education minister, said on a visit to the fence dividing Gaza and Israel last week. “Our enemies are investing all their resources in developing ways to kill us.” | Israel “cannot be the only country in the world where children cannot walk down the street without worrying that a missile will fall,” Naftali Bennett, a far-right lawmaker and education minister, said on a visit to the fence dividing Gaza and Israel last week. “Our enemies are investing all their resources in developing ways to kill us.” |
| “Only with a complete victory can we put an end to this cycle,” he said. | “Only with a complete victory can we put an end to this cycle,” he said. |