Sheikh Wadee’ al-Jaabari, the leader of Hebron’s most influential clan, wants to do away with the Palestinian Authority, create an Emirate in Hebron and join the Abraham Accords.
By Rachel Avraham
In recent days, Palestinian Media Watch reported that “Elliot Kaufman of the Wall Street Journal published an article citing leading clans in Hebron declaring their desire to “break out of the Palestinian Authority, establish an Emirate of its own and join the Abraham Accords.” The group is led by Sheikh Wadee’ al-Jaabari, the leader of Hebron’s most influential clan.
Kaufman writes that: “The first circle [of support] has eight major sheikhs, who together are believed to lead 204,000 local residents. The second circle lists 13 more sheikhs, who lead another 350,000. That makes a majority of the more than 700,000 people in the area. Both circles have sworn allegiance to Sheikh Jaabari in this matter.”
“Sheikh Jaabari wants peace with Israel and to join the Abraham Accords, with the support of his fellow sheikhs. Who in Israel is going to say no?” Israel’s Economy Minister Nir Barkat told the Times of Israel. “There will be no Palestinian state — not even in 1,000 years,” Jaabari tells the Wall Street Journal. “After October 7, Israel will not give it.” Another sheikh who joined the initiative concurred: “To think only about making a Palestinian state will bring us all to disaster.”
The question remains, how has Palestinian society reacted to the idea of a Hebron Emirate? A group from the Jaabari clan published the following on a Hamas telegram channel: “”In response to what was published in the media and on social networks, regarding an alleged political initiative to separate from the PA and establish the Hebron Emirate. To our great people:
1- The Al-Ja’abari clan has sacrificed hundreds of Martyrs, wounded, and prisoners on the land of Palestine.
2- We as the Al-Ja’abari clan, announce our complete disavowal, and we condemn what was done by one of the clan members, who we do not recognize, and he is not a resident of Hebron.
3- The Al-Ja’abari clan in Hebron and in all places inside and outside, emphasizes its commitment to Islamic and national principles, and to our people’s rights to self-determination, and to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, on all our national land (i.e., including Israel).
4- This is our permanent position in the present and in the future, and we will not deviate from it, whatever the circumstances may be.”
According to Palestinian Media Watch, “Significantly, even though this is a declaration of war against the Palestinian Authority, the PA chose not to respond in its official media, as if nothing significant had happened. The official PA daily did not even mention the story in today’s newspaper and WAFA, the official news agency, by 4:00 pm still had not mentioned it on its news site. Official PA TV, likewise, by midday had not mentioned it.”
Palestinian Media Watch added, “It’s possible that the PA does not want to lend credence to Palestinians organizing against its autocratic rule and is hoping that by ignoring it, the problem will dissipate. However, reading the article and seeing the depths of the hatred expressed toward the Palestinian Authority, it is likely the sheikhs wouldn’t have taken such a public step if they didn’t feel they had broad support of the people.”
From semi-official Fatah Telegram source, there was one response of condemnation from “Hebron families”: “The Palestinian Authority and its security mechanisms are a red line, and we will not agree to harm it, nor the Palestinian national project, for which thousands of Martyrs, wounded, and prisoners were sacrificed. Secondly – We emphasize our firm rejection of the ‘village associations’ project in the Hebron district, and we say to those who receive payment [to act] against our people’s cause: ‘Return to the right path!’.”
They continued, “Thirdly – Hebron, the city of our master Abraham, the friend [of Allah], will continue to be unbreakable…[Hebron] will continue to be a thorn in the throats of the traitors and those hired against our national cause. Glory to the Martyrs, healing to the wounded, freedom to the prisoners.”
Prominent Middle East scholar Dr. Mordechai Kedar has been a longtime advocate of the Palestinian Emirate Solution, which he claimed better reflected the sociology of the Middle East than the two-state solution does. He has long advocated that the Palestinians of Tulkarem, Hebron, Ramallah and other major population areas in Judea and Samaria are very different from each other, and that the Palestinians in those areas have nothing in common with the Palestinians in Gaza. For this reason, he believes the Emirates model is the best solution for peace and stability in our region. For him, a Palestinian Emirate in Hebron would be an excellent start for this.
Photo from Oren Rozen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebron#/media/File:BTS_Hebron_Tour_280215_24.jpg
