'Emirate Plan' could see powerful West Bank clans take power to broker Arab-Israeli peace

A group of powerful clan leaders from the West Bank city of Hebron have issued a striking call for peace, recognising Israel as a Jewish state and proposing the creation of an autonomousArab emirate to join the Abraham Accords.

Sheikh Wadee' al-Jaabari, also known as Abu Sanad, declared: "We want cooperation with Israel. We want coexistence," speaking to The Wall Street Journal from his ceremonial tent in Hebron, south of Jerusalem. The influential figure and four other sheikhs have signed a letter pledging peace and recognition of Israel, calling for Hebron to break away from the Palestinian Authority and form its own self-governed emirate.

Proposals for Netanyahu

The unprecedented letter, addressed to Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat, requests that he present the proposal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "The Emirate of Hebron shall recognize the State of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people," the sheikhs wrote. "And the State of Israel shall recognize the Emirate of Hebron as the Representative of the Arab residents in the Hebron District."

This declaration goes further than the Palestinian Authority has ever dared, abandoning decades of rejectionism. The sheikhs demand a timetable to begin talks on joining the Abraham Accords and replacing the Oslo Accords, which they condemn for causing "damage, death, economic disaster and destruction."

They argue that the Oslo process imposed "the corrupt Palestinian Authority, instead of recognizing the traditional, authentic local leadership" - a reference to the clans that still command deep loyalty in Palestinian society.

New thinking needed

Mr Barkat, who has hosted the sheikhs at his home and met with them over a dozen times since February, said the old peace framework had failed. "New thinking is needed," he stated. A senior Israeli source confirmed Mr Netanyahu's cautious support, though he awaits further developments.

"Sheikh Jaabari wants peace with Israel and to join the Abraham Accords, with the support of his fellow sheikhs," Mr Barkat said. "Who in Israel is going to say no?"

Sheikh Jaabari, 48, insists the moment is ripe for change. "There will be no Palestinian state-not even in 1,000 years," he said. "After Oct. 7, Israel will not give it." Another senior Hebron sheikh, also a signatory, agreed: "To think only about making a Palestinian state will bring us all to disaster."

A Hebrew-language document lists two circles of support: one of eight key sheikhs representing 204,000 people, and a second with 13 more leading another 350,000. This majority represents over half of the Hebron-area population, according to an Israeli associate of Sheikh Jaabari.

Deeply rooted clans

These clans, deeply rooted in Palestinian society, are said to include many individuals currently serving within the PA's local ranks. The sheikhs believe family loyalty will prevail.

"I plan to cut off the PA," Sheikh Jaabari declared. "It doesn't represent the Palestinians." He claims the clans led their communities for centuries before the imposition of the PLO through the 1993 Oslo Accords. "It brought the PLO and told the Palestinians: Take this," he said.

Expanding model

Dr Mordechai Kedar, an Israeli academic and commentator, called Hebron "more traditional, much more conservative" than cities like Ramallah, and suggested it could become a test case. He believes this model could expand to cities such as Bethlehem.

"Organizations like the PLO and Hamas try to construct their legitimacy on Jew-hatred and hatred of Israel," Mr Kedar said. "But the clans are legitimate by definition."

"Sheikh Jaabari wants peace, and his fellow sheikhs agree," added Mr Barkat. "Nobody in Israel believes in the PA, and you won't find many Palestinians who do either."

"Sheikh Jaabari says the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority 'can't protect us, it can't even protect itself.'" The sheikhs fear that without a change, an Oct. 7-style attack could emerge from the West Bank, plunging the region into chaos like Gaza.

One senior sheikh had an ambitious final word: "If we will get the blessing of honorable President Trump and the United States for this project, Hebron could be like the Gulf, like Dubai."

Habit over reason?

Momentum behind the proposed Hebron emirate is accelerating, as more tribal leaders rally behind the initiative. Since March, many more sheikhs have reportedly joined the movement, with growing confidence that they now hold the upper hand over the Palestinian Authority.

"The people are with us," one sheikh declared. "Nobody respects the PA, nobody wants them." The sheikhs believe the only reason the PA still survives is due to protection from Israel. "The only reason to wait for Israel," the sheikh continued, "is because it protects the PA."

But that very protection could soon pose the greatest obstacle.

If the sheikhs' illegally armed loyalists take to the streets in defiance of the PA, would the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) or the Shin Bet security service move to stop them? That, warns Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat, would represent "the triumph of habit over reason."

"Since Oslo, 30 years ago, the Israeli security services have been instructed to work with the PA," Mr. Barkat said. "It's all they know."

As the clans' confidence grows and alliances solidify, the future of West Bank governance may hang on how Israel responds-not only politically, but on the ground.