Choose your headlines:
Egypt offers Abbas a Palestinian state in Sinai
Sisi Offered Abbas: Create Palestinian State in Sinai
Egypt: Establish Palestinian State in Sinai
Unfortunately, there were later headlines, including
El-Sisi denies claims he’ll give Sinai land to Palestinians
Egypt Denies Offering Land for ‘Sinai State of Palestine’
Good as it seemed, the plan if it was proposed would never be accepted by the PA politicians or the "West Bank" Muslims.
Just as we refused to accept the English offer to carve a Jewish homeland out of Uganda, the indigenous Muslims of the area controlled by the PA will never accept any land other than the land they are on now. Unlike the Jews under Israeli government control, no one will send a PA army in to forcibly remove Muslims from the homes they have occupied since the area was controlled by Jordan.
It could have been a win-win-win if (a) el-Sisi had indeed made the offer and (b) Abu Mazen and the former residents of Jordan had accepted.
The plan would have united all PA territories into one large, viable unit.
The plan would have given a united PA the ability to create sea ports in Gaza and on the Suez.
The plan would have given a united PA at least one airport - albeit one that needs substantial repair.
The plan would have given former Jordanian citizens new, modern homes compliments of the UN, EU, possibly the Arab states - especially those who want to empty the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) camps festering within their borders. New homes are contingent on the PA rulers making certain building materials are used for buildings and not tunnels or bunkers from which to fire missiles at Egypt and Israel.
The downside is that Abu Mazen would be face-to-face with his nemesis Hamas. He has proven he cannot control Hamas and he cannot prevent attacks on Israel and Egypt by Hamas.
More, the new country would be between two others it has made enemies: Egypt and Israel. Given the cooperation between the two against Hamas, the new country could could be squeezed by the two armies into a quiet, if not peaceful, state.
On top of that, the alleged offer from el-Sisi came with a rope - not just a string - attached; the former Jordanians would have to forego - give up - any demands that Israel return to its earlier borders. Any hope to have the historic Jewish capital become even a shared capital would be lost.
The real roadblocks - assuming el-Sisi did make the offer - are that
(a) The PA would lose its raison d'etre, its reason to exist.
(b) The PA would lose its claim to Israeli land, including the so-called "West Bank" captured from Jordan following the latter's invasion of Israel.
(c) The anti-Semites would lose one reason to hate Jews and Israel - they should be able to afford to give up one reason; they have imagined so many.
(d) The relocated Muslims would have to work to make the Sinai blossom; to irrigate and plant new olive trees and fruit orchards.
ON THE OTHER HAND, the Sinai has oil fields. Oil fields already in place. The map, below, shows known oil reserves. The relocated "Palestinians" could hire contractors to extract the oil and pay royalties to the residents (assuming any would get past the leadership's pockets).
It would be interesting to see how the former citizens of Jordan would vote if all the options - all the pros and all the cons of relocation - were presented to them honestly.
From Israel's perspective, creating a Palestinian state in the Sinai, to include Gaza, would have been a positive move. For the former Jordanians with foresight or greed, the move also would be a positive. For the Islamists and PA politicians, this could, if they played their cards right, also reward them with oil money and money that could be diverted to tunnels and rockets. I don't know what Egypt expected to gain; perhaps putting the PA on the hot seat to maintain a "no fire zone" in the Sinai where today bandits roam freely.
