Political Traps: Palestine and Lebanon Between False Promises and American-Israeli Control

For over three decades, the Palestinian people have been pushed toward a path that seemed like a gateway to freedom and an independent state, but in reality, it has been a tightly crafted political trap nurtured by the United States, benefitting from internal divisions and Arab weakness while paving the way for unrestricted expansion of the Zionist project.

In the 1990s, the Palestinians were led into what was known as the peace trap, where agreements urged them to abandon arms and resistance and to recognize Israel in exchange for a promise of an independent state. The Oslo Accords of 1993 lacked any binding mechanisms for Israel, neither recognizing the State of Palestine nor halting settlement expansion or altering the realities on the ground, while imposing strict political and security constraints on the Palestinians. Settlement continued at an accelerating pace, and the separation of Gaza from the West Bank rendered the establishment of a contiguous Palestinian state nearly impossible, with the United States playing the primary role in fostering this trap, providing political and economic cover for Israel without any commitment to achieving the right to self-determination or the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The American role was not limited to sponsoring these agreements; it uniquely crafted illusory political projects in the region while most European countries and some Arab capitals played a symbolic role and sometimes participated in selling the illusion to push through the Israeli plan. Nevertheless, there remains a possibility for neutral countries like China and Russia to play a balancing role if relations with them are strengthened and transformed into effective diplomatic and human rights pressure tools, and there should be efforts to hold an international conference including all these countries away from the U.S. as a partner of Israel in its aggression and occupation of Palestine. The fundamental question that underscores the conspiracy is: Where are the countries that sponsored Oslo? And where are the countries that can guarantee the protection of the two-state solution?

In terms of Gaza and Lebanon, the same traps are repeated under the titles and promises of ceasefires or future settlements without any guarantees, which gives Israel a temporal and military advantage to dismantle its opponents. Lebanon, in particular, faces a direct threat from the Israeli project, which aims to fully occupy the country, and at the very least, occupy its south up to the Litani River, with attempts to divide it into three sectarian mini-states (Druze, Sunni, Christian) and eliminate the Shiite presence. The Lebanese options are extremely difficult: either carry the American project and be dragged into an internal civil war that could destroy the national and sectarian fabric, or face a potential external confrontation with Israel, possibly with overt American support, which is a difficult option but less destructive than a civil war. The statements made by Hezbollah leader Naeem Qassem on behalf of the Lebanese resistance stating, "We will not lay down our arms, and we will wage a Karbala-like war" affirm that armed resistance remains the living line of defense against Israeli expansion and occupation threats, and protects the struggle and Lebanon as a whole, comprising all its sects.

Israeli settlement and control have expanded blatantly as they include Israel’s grand ambitions from the Nile to the Euphrates, controlling water resources, settlements, and bits of Palestinian land, supported by full American cover and veto. Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced the expansionist project to encompass all of Palestine and Arab countries from the Nile to the Euphrates, exploiting every Palestinian and Arab weakness, with the strategic goal remaining the domination of the entire region, including Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

Additionally, with American support, Israel has politically and financially besieged the Palestinian leadership, incapacitating its ability to face challenges, and conditional international funding and economic constraints limit any margin for independent action, making the official positions weak in the face of American domination.

The repeatedly recurring regional trap is clearly evident in Gaza and Lebanon, where promises of settlements remain without guarantees, granting Israel a temporal and military advantage to dismantle its opponents. Countering these American and Israeli projects requires mobilizing alternative international support, where China, Russia, and neutral countries can play roles of diplomatic pressure and oversight to enforce balance in policies.

In this context, recommendations become necessary and urgent, the first being to neutralize American hegemony and prevent it from monopolizing political projects in Palestine and Lebanon through opening alternative international diplomatic channels. Additionally, rebuilding Palestinian national unity to unify the internal stance and enhance the ability to confront political traps is vital, while the independence of political decision-making is essential, free from American financial pressures while benefiting from potential support from Russia, China, and neutral countries. Protecting land and settlements and ensuring geographical connectivity between the West Bank and Gaza, as well as resisting attempts to Judaize Jerusalem and seize Palestinian land, are considered national priorities. Furthermore, strengthening defensive capabilities to ensure that the Palestinian people and the Lebanese resistance can defend the land and citizens against any Israeli attack, and lastly, expanding international alliances and using China, Russia, and neutral countries as balancing pressure tools against American dominance, alongside raising awareness and mobilizing media and diplomatic efforts to promote awareness about the dangers of American and Israeli political traps, will reinforce the national position on the international level and enhance resilience opportunities.