Palestinians Are Not on US Radar, Biden's West Bank Trip Won't Bring Breakthrough, Says Analyst

Shortly after his visit to Israel, US President Biden will head to Bethlehem, where he will meet Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian National Authority. After that, the American leader will head to Saudi Arabia to discuss a number of regional issues.

US President Joe Biden is expected in the Palestinian Authority later this month, where he will meet a number of senior officials, including the PNA's president Mahmoud Abbas.

In recent months, officials in Ramallah have grown increasingly frustrated with the Biden administration, because of its inability to deliver promises made to the Palestinians during his pre-election campaign.

Broken Promises?

Palestinians had expected that Biden would open a consulate in East Jerusalem to compensate them for moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018. That, however, didn't happen, something that served to strengthen the Palestinians' anger.

They also hoped he would renew the operation of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation's office in Washington that was shut down under Donald Trump. And they anticipated that the new boss in DC would unlock much-needed funds to the Palestinians after their budget was significantly trimmed in 2018.

"In his visit, Joe Biden is not going to deal with the most acute issues that have been bothering the Palestinians," says Hani Al Masri, a Ramallah-based political analyst. "They will not talk about freezing Israel's settlement activity. Nor will they focus on Israel's attacks on worshippers, or their arrests and assassinations. They will only speak about how to make sure Abbas survives and remains in his seat."

Abbas has become increasingly unpopular with the general public in the Palestinian territories. According to a recent poll, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, more than 70 percent of Palestinians would like Abbas to resign, and 84 percent believed his government was corrupt.

But so far as Washington is concerned, says Al Masri, it is vital Abbas remains in position as he adheres to the security cooperation with Israel and is opposed to Hamas and this is why Washington would like to see him stay put, the analyst argues.

Shifting Interests

However, there's another reason Washington supports Abbas - America's domestic policy and its national interests.

"Right now, there are many other issues that occupy decision makers in Washington ahead of their mid-terms in November. One of them is Ukraine. Another one is their struggle to replace Russian energy. A third is the Iranian nuclear file. They have no room for any Israeli-Palestinian peace process," explains Al Masri.

Israel, for its part, doesn't seem interested in a peace process either. Although Prime Minister Yair Lapid, during his first official trip to France, said he would be willing to meet Abbas, such a meeting has not been scheduled. For the next three months, the Jewish state's interim PM will be busy with his pre-election campaign. A regulation of the conflict with the Palestinians will not be a priority for him.

Americans, Al Masri reckons, understand this and this is why they will not apply pressure to Israel preferring rather to retain the status quo. At the same time, those in Washington who want to present themselves as supporters of the Palestinians will ask officials in Jerusalem to make certain concessions.

Those are likely to include additional work permits to Gazans or removing some restrictions on worshippers, who pray at the Al Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem. "Anything major is out of question," Al Masri declares.

"At present, what we can expect is only small and rather insignificant steps. Biden's trip will not bring a breakthrough. It is not in the interests of any side."