US peace plan for Palestine and Israel is delayed again
▶ US ambassador to Israel says the much-vaunted document is almost complete but needs some ‘smoothing’
Release of the US peace plan for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been delayed again and is now expected “within the next several months”, US President Donald Trump’s hard-right ambassador to Israel said.
Mr Trump said in September that his plan for the “deal of the century” would be presented in three to four months.
But David Friedman, his envoy who supports Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise and considers liberal Jews to be traitors, said the plan needed more work.
“We want to release it in a way that gives it the best chance of getting a good reception,” Mr Friedman said after he and US National Security Adviser John Bolton arrived in Israel on Saturday.
The Palestinians have said they will not accept a US peace plan regardless of its contents because of moves by Washington in favour of Israel.
The US measures have allowed Israel’s right-wing government to continue illegal settlement building, increase its hold on Jerusalem and ignore international calls for peace negotiations.
Mr Friedman said that Israeli elections in April “are a factor, but not the only factor”. He said the plan was almost complete, apart from some “smoothing”.
“The challenge to a peace plan is making the case for a much more sober assessment of the realities in this region,” he said.
“The last time there was a meaningful agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians was 1993. A lot has happened since 1993.”
Mr Friedman was referring to the first of the Oslo Accords.
Palestinian officials regularly condemn him for his support for Israel over funding the hardline Jewish settlement of Beit El in the occupied West Bank, calling Jerusalem the capital of Israel and opposing Palestinian sovereignty over any part of the West Bank.
Palestinian officials have cut off all ties to Washington and say they will not resume diplomatic relations until Mr Trump reverses moves such as cutting all aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the US to recognise Israeli sovereignty of the occupied Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 war. He and Mr Bolton were to visit the region yesterday.
“When you’re there, you’ll be able to understand perfectly why we’ll never leave the Golan Heights and why it’s important that all countries recognise Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” Mr Netanyahu said.
Israel uses the Golan as a staging point for its military on the southern border of Syria. It has launched air strikes in the border areas across from the Golan and deeper into Syria to stop what it says is the growing presence of Iranian military and Hezbollah.
The Israeli leader’s call represented another demand of the government for the Trump administration to boost its hold over territory it captured in 1967.
In May, the US moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognised the city revered by Jews, Muslims and Christians as Israel’s capital. Israel occupies East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians seek as the capital of any future state.
The international community considers the status of the city must be finalised through negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
We want to release it in a way that gives it the best chance of getting a good reception DAVID FRIEDMAN US ambassador to Israel