'We want to establish an emirate, break out of the Palestinian Authority, and join the Abraham Accords,' Palestinian sheikhs from Hebron tell Israeli economy minister

A group of Palestinian sheikhs from the Hebron area sent a letter to Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat, expressing their desire to live in coexistence and cooperation with Israel, to disengage from the Palestinian Authority, to establish an “emirate,” and to join the Abraham Accords, according to an article published this morning (Sunday) in the Wall Street Journal.

From the group, only Sheikh Wadee’ al-Jaabari, also known as Abu Sand, agreed to be interviewed under his name. “We want cooperation with Israel,” he said. “We want coexistence with Israel.”

The letter, which he signed along with four other influential sheikhs, was addressed to Barkat, who, according to the report, has met with the group at his home several times since February. The sheikhs asked Barkat to present their letter – which details their plan to establish the “Hebron Emirate” and to break out from the Palestinian Authority – to Prime Minister Netanyahu.

“The Emirate of Hebron shall recognize the State of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people,” the sheikhs wrote in their letter, “and the State of Israel shall recognize the Emirate of Hebron as the Representative of the Arab residents in the Hebron District.”

In the letter, they requested to set a timetable for negotiations 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.”

Al-Jaabari does not believe that a Palestinian state will ever be established. “There will be no Palestinian state – not even in 1,000 years,” he says. “After Oct. 7, Israel will not give it.”

Another sheikh who signed the letter but was unwilling to be interviewed by name added, “To think only about making a Palestinian state will bring us all to disaster.”

In light of the suspension of work permits for Palestinians in Israel, the sheikhs propose that Israel admit 1,000 workers from Hebron for a trial period, and subsequently another 5,000. Sheikh al-Jaabari and another senior sheikh said that Barkat told them that this number could rise to 50,000 workers or more from Hebron.

According to the Journal, Barkat operated vis-à-vis the sheikhs with the knowledge of the Israeli government. A senior Israeli source told the newspaper that Netanyahu expressed support for the contacts but remained cautious and is waiting to see how the initiative develops.

Barkat’s office echoed the article. “Nobody in Israel believes in the PA, and you won’t find many Palestinians who do either,” he claimed. “Sheikh al-Jaabari wants peace with Israel and to join the Abraham Accords, with the support of his fellow sheikhs. Who in Israel is going to say no?”

Meanwhile, an Arab diplomat from one of the regional countries recently told Kan News that there is a significant effort underway by Arab states to bring about, in the near future, a “blitz” of recognitions of a Palestinian state by European and Asian countries.

On the U.S. side, however, different winds are blowing. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who is known as a supporter of Jewish settlements, recently told the Bloomberg news agency that the United States no longer fully supports an independent Palestinian state.

In an interview, Huckabee said that a Palestinian state could be established elsewhere, but not in the West Bank. “Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture, there's no room for it,” he said, adding that in his estimation, an independent Palestinian state will not be established “in our lifetime.”