United State President Donald Trump has revealed to the world his long-awaited Middle East peace plan that guarantees Jerusalem as Israel’s uncontested capital in full and finality.
Trump has presented a sovereign Palestinian state proposal with the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over settlements in West Bank. Announcing the deal standing alongside his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said his newly devised deal could be the last opportunity for Palestinians. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissing the plans termed them a conspiracy against the Palestinian cause.
“I say to Trump and Netanyahu: Jerusalem is not for sale; all our rights are not for sale and are not for bargain. And your deal, the conspiracy, will not pass,” he addressed the media in Ramallah, West Bank in a televised press conference.
The blueprint of the peace deal was charted under the stewardship of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Meanwhile thousands of Palestinians in Gaza Strip came out earlier on Tuesday to protest against the new Israeli military deployments in occupied West Bank.
The Peace Plan is announced at a time when both leaders are facing crisis in internal politics at their respective homes. Trump is battling with an impeachment trial in the US Senate while Netanyahu subject to corruption charges on Tuesday has dropped his bid for immunity as the two rulers deny charges of any wrongdoing in their offices.
United States ambassador to Israel explained that the timing of the announcement has nothing to do with any domestic political development and were fully baked before being uncovered. The reports on the other hand suggested that Netanyahu was planning to press for the annexation of 30% of the occupied West Bank after getting an approving it from a cabinet on Sunday.
West Bank is currently filled by 400,000 Israelis settlements that are considered illegal under international law, a claim contested by Israel. Mr. Friedman purposed that Israel did not have to wait at all to move ahead with annexation.
Key Points of the Deal
Talking to the officials and reporters, Trump said, “Today, Israel takes a big step towards peace.”
“My vision presents a win-win opportunity for both sides, a realistic two-state solution that resolves the risk of Palestinian statehood to Israel’s security.”
Here are the proposals offered by Mr. Trump to solve one of the world’s longest-running conflicts:
• The US will recognize Israeli sovereignty over territory that Mr. Trump’s plan envisages being part of Israel. The plan includes a conceptual map that Mr. Trump says illustrates the territorial compromises that Israel is willing to make.
• The map will “more than double the Palestinian territory and provide a Palestinian capital in eastern Jerusalem”, where Mr. Trump says the US would open an embassy. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said Mr. Trump’s plan would give Palestinians control over 15% of what it called “historic Palestine”.
• Jerusalem “will remain Israel’s undivided capital”. Both Israel and the Palestinians hold competing claims to the holy city. The Palestinians insist that East Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in the 1967 Middle East war, be the capital of their future state.
• An opportunity for Palestinians to “achieve an independent state of their very own” – however, he gave few details.
• “No Palestinians or Israelis will be uprooted from their homes” – suggesting that existing Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank will remain.
• Israel will work with the king of Jordan to ensure that the status quo governing the key holy site in Jerusalem known to Jews as the Temple Mount and al-Haram al-Sharif to Muslims is preserved. Jordan runs the religious trust that administers the site.
• Territory allocated to Palestinians in Mr. Trump’s map “will remain open and undeveloped for a period of four years”. During that time, Palestinians can study the deal, negotiate with Israel, and “achieve the criteria for statehood”.
“Palestinians are in poverty and violence, exploited by those seeking to use them as pawns to advance terrorism and extremism. They deserve a far better life,” Mr. Trump said.
Trump, the chief architecture of the deal, confirmed that there is no plan to cut West bank in half.
“We will also work to create a contiguous territory within the future Palestinian state, for when the conditions for statehood are met, including the firm rejection of terrorism,” said Mr. Trump.
Israeli officials said Mr. Netanyahu would have a meeting with Russian Premier Vladimir Putin in Russia to discuss the idea that BB sees eye to eye with Trump as “the deal of the century”.
