The sheikhs of Hebron, who agree to recognize Israel as a Jewish state are asking that Israel, in return, recognize the "Emirate of Hebron."
The Wall Street Journal on Sunday revealed a letter sent by the most influential tribal leader in the city, which calls for cooperation with Israel. “We want coexistence,” said from his tent Sheikh Wadee al-Jaabari, "Abu Sanad."
Al-Jaabari has previously expressed support for coexistence, as did his father—but this time it’s different. He and four other sheikhs from Hebron signed a letter calling for peace and for recognizing Israel as a Jewish state. According to the letter, their goal is for Hebron to secede from the Palestinian Authority, establish its own emirate, and join the Abraham Accords.
The letter was sent to Economy Minister Nir Barkat, who met at his home with al-Jaabari and the other sheikhs; he has held more than 12 meetings with them since February. They asked him to forward the letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and are now waiting for his response.
In the letter, the sheikhs wrote that “The Emirate of Hebron shall recognize the State of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people and the State of Israel shall recognize the Emirate of Hebron as the Representative of the Arab residents in the Hebron District.” Recognizing Israel as a Jewish state is something the Palestinian Authority has never done.
The sheikhs included a detailed proposed timetable for talks to join the Abraham Accords and for “a fair and decent arrangement that would replace the Oslo Accords, which only brought damage, death, economic disaster and destruction.” They also wrote that the Oslo Accords "have brought upon us the corrupt Palestinian Authority instead of recognizing the traditional, authentic local leadership.”
They proposed that Israel grant work permits to 1,000 workers from Hebron on a trial basis, and then extend this to another 5,000. Sheikh al-Jaabari and another senior sheikh said that Barkat told them this number could potentially increase to as many as 50,000 workers from Hebron.
According to the report, Barkat acted with the knowledge of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who, according to a source, supports the initiative but remains cautious, waiting to see how it develops. "No one in Israel believes in the Palestinian Authority, and you won't find many Palestinians who do either," said Barkat.
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Yossi Dagan and Sheikh al-Jaabari in the office of the head of the Samaria Regional Council
(Photo: Samaria Regional Council)
Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, also gave an interview to The Wall Street Journal, officially confirming that he is a partner in the initiative and has worked on the plan together with the sheikhs. Dagan said he first met Sheikh Jaabari 13 years ago. "His father was a courageous leader who put his people first, and the son is the same," he said.
Jaabari believes this is the way forward, and says that he and his fellow sheikhs are not betraying the Palestinian people and their cause.
"The betrayal was done in Oslo," he says. "You forgot but I remember – 33 years of it. I believe in my path. There will be obstacles, but if we codront a rock, we will have iron to break it."
