CDHR Commentary: In spite of momentous odds and uncertainties, one can only hope that the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, imposed by former and current US presidents, will hold and lead to durable coexistence between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples who have suffered colossally. In addition to Netanyahu and Hamas, there are many global and regional duplicitous forces whose dubious financial and strategic interests depend on exploitive stability in Middle East. For instance, the absolute Saudi rulers, especially Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and his Gulf dynastic allies’ priority is to normalize relations with Israel for regional economic security and domination reasons. Normalizing Saudi/Israeli relations is one of President Trump’s top priorities.  For decades, the Israeli and Palestinian peoples’ lives and livelihoods have been used by regional regimes and their global handlers as bargaining chips, as exemplified by the current bargains in the Qatari capital, Duha. After 16 months of death

CDHR Analysis: Normalizing diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel with U.S. mediation is seen by many as an applaudable diplomatic step toward regional stability and economic prosperity. But is it? In return for the Saudi government’s acceptance of normalization, President Biden has to commit the U.S. to protecting the absolute Saudi monarchy, which has sided with America’s arch enemies time and again. By committing the U.S. to an open-ended military commitment to protect an oppressive ruling family whose domestic cruelty and regional destabilizing aggressive policies have been major sources of regional volatility, Biden continues the U.S.’s decades-old failed policy, as boldly stated by former Secretary of State Doctor Condoleezza Rice, “For 60 years, my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region here in the Middle East — and we achieved neither.” With fifty years in state and national public service and extensive

CDHR Analysis: People from all kinds of political and ethnic background are asking why Arab autocracies and populations are not showing public support for the Palestinians during the carnage in Gaza. After decades of trumpeting their support for restoring “occupied Palestine” to the Palestinian people, the ruling Arab regimes have proven time and again that their overt pronouncements are not only misleading but contrary to their objectives as stated here.  The Arab regimes’ (including the Hamas leadership) top priority is to rule for life at any cost, including eliminating their critics and suppressing peaceful pro-democracy movements, as amply demonstrated by the Saudi-led coalition of  counterrevolutionary states to ensure that freedom of expression and democratic movements, akin to the 2010-2011 Arab Spring, never happen again.   The massive pan-Arab uprising of 2010-2011 was instigated by persistent political repression, lack of opportunities and by increasing numbers of 21st century-educated youth yearning for