Abdulrahman Al-Rashed
Five years have passed since the unveiling of what was then known as the "Trump Deal," and the Middle Eastern landscape has been completely reshaped. At the time, the Palestinian leadership's resounding "no" was echoed by many, who saw it as a principled stand against an unjust proposal. Today, looking back from the vantage point of 2025, one must ask a difficult question: Was that rejection a defense of inalienable rights, or was it a catastrophic misreading of a pivotal moment? Events have since proven that the train of opportunity has indeed left them behind.
The strategic Palestinian mistake was not in rejecting the deal's specific terms, but in refusing to even sit at the negotiating table. While the Palestinian leadership clung to a policy of absolute rejection, other Arab nations were reading the international and regional maps with sharp political realism. The Abraham Accords, which seemed like a betrayal to some in 2020, have since expanded, creating a new regional bloc focused on economic prosperity and security cooperation. These countries did not abandon the Palestinian cause, but they chose to engage with the world as it is, not as they wish it to be. By securing their own interests, they created new dynamics, but the Palestinian issue, due to its leadership's intransigence, was largely sidelined.
Let us be clear: the "Deal of the Century" was not a perfect plan. It demanded painful concessions from the Palestinians: a demilitarized state, a capital in the suburbs of Jerusalem rather than its heart, and a symbolic rather than literal resolution to the right of return. These were bitter pills to swallow. But it also offered, for the first time, a concrete framework for a viable, sovereign state with American recognition, Israeli security guarantees, and unprecedented international financial support. It was a foundation built on what was possible, not on what was hoped for a harsh lesson in pragmatism.
Today, five years later, the situation is tragically worse. Settlement expansion has accelerated on the ground, making a contiguous Palestinian state a geographical fantasy. The two-state solution, long the cornerstone of international diplomacy, is now spoken of in the past tense. International attention has shifted to other global crises, and the Arab world is busy building a new future that no longer revolves around a single, stagnant conflict.
The question that history will now judge is stark: Was that absolute rejection an act of wisdom and courage, or was it a form of political suicide that squandered the last genuine opportunity for statehood? History, as they say, is written by the victors, but reality is lived by everyone. And the reality for Palestinians today is a direct consequence of the choices made five years ago.
* The article was first published in the Al Arabiya Arabic, on October 4th, 2025. It has been translated from Arabic to English with the kind support of the Levant Files team members. The Levant Files does not share all the arguments that have been expressed in the republished articles. We share the article due to the ongoing historical developments in the region.
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