No to the Crime of the Century… No to the Elimination of the Palestinian Cause

Statement by the Revolutionary Socialists

Just as Egypt entered the American fold through economic liberalization under the Camp David Accords, and as the Madrid Conference in 1991, which laid the groundwork for the Oslo Accords, was accompanied by agreements with the International Monetary Fund and the launch of privatization and structural adjustment policies, today, the U.S. and Israel, with the cooperation of several Arab regimes and the submission of others, aim to eliminate the Palestinian cause under the guise of “peace for prosperity.”

The promises of prosperity and wealth accompanying Camp David, Madrid, and Oslo are being revived again, emerging from Bahrain. However, the stakes are higher than ever before: the complete and permanent elimination of the Palestinian cause, eradicating any future possibility of resistance.

As successive U.S. administrations tried to market the idea that peace with the Zionist occupier was possible, the Trump administration is now trying to sell the notion that abandoning Palestine under the guise of “peace” will lead to economic prosperity for the region.

After much speculation and leaks about what Trump called the Deal of the Century, the Manama Workshop will be held tomorrow under the banner “Peace to Prosperity,” making the Deal of the Century more transparent and aligning it with the Camp David and Oslo deals: merely economic deals benefiting investors, integrating Israel into the region, impoverishing the people, and completely disregarding the rights of the Palestinian people.

The preliminary steps for the Deal of the Century leave no room for doubt. From the Egyptian regime ceding Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia, turning the Egyptian maritime passage into an international one that Israel can access under international law, to moving the U.S. embassy to occupied Jerusalem, recognizing American sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, closing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and attempting to eliminate any right of return to the occupied territories. Thus, all aspects of the American Deal of the Century, officially launched in Bahrain, have been revealed.

Just as Camp David carried with it economic liberalization and the subjugation of the Egyptian economy to the interests of traders, investment banks, and smugglers, and as the Madrid Conference brought privatization and structural adjustment policies that impoverished millions of Egyptians, the Deal of the Century enters through the door of economy and investment. The same door through which all deals of surrender have entered, promising the same prosperity that only resulted in impoverishment and marginalization for millions, striking Arab communities anew and subjugating them to the priorities and profits of investors.

While governments and investors gather in Bahrain to finalize their deal, the hopes always rest on the resistance of the working masses throughout the region. The Palestinians have announced their complete rejection of the “Crime of the Century,” which practically begins with the Bahrain Workshop. Palestinian factions have called for continued marches and activities opposing it, extending the same call to the Arab masses to reject the bribes offered to their rulers in exchange for abandoning Palestine and parts of Sinai and Jordan. Demonstrations have started in Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, and other Arab countries, declaring the peoples’ stance against the Crime of the Century.

The Revolutionary Socialists join their voices with the resisting Palestinian voices and all those who have risen against the elimination of the Palestinian cause. They call on the Egyptian people to express solidarity with the Palestinian people by rejecting this crime and Egypt’s participation under Sisi in the disgraceful Bahrain conference.