The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Trump unveils peace plan for Middle East
President Donald Trump’s proposal is celebrated by Israel’s prime minister, but the Palestinian president calls it “nonsense.”
President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled his long-awaited Middle East plan, which was celebrated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “vision for peace” but opposed by Palestinians who say it favors Israel and falls short of their goal of creating a viable independent state. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the plan “nonsense.”
The plan
Trump’s 50-page political outline calls for the creation of a State of Palestine with its capital in east Jerusalem while recognizing Israeli sovereignty over major settlement blocs in the West Bank — something the Palestinians have previously rejected. The plan calls for a four-year freeze in new Israeli settlement construction, during which time details of a comprehensive agreement would be negotiated. However, it was not immediately clear if the freeze could be extended if a final deal is not concluded in the four years.
Under the terms of the plan that Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner has been working on for nearly three years, the future Palestinian state would consist of the West Bank and Gaza, connected by a combination of above-ground roads and tunnels. Netanyahu and his main political challenger in March elections, Benny Gantz, had signed off on the plan.
Trump called his plan a “winwin” for Israel and the Palestinians, but it was created without input from Palestinian leaders and they already had rejected it before the president unveiled it at the White House on Tuesday. The plan builds on a 30-page economic plan for the West Bank
and Gaza that was unveiled last June, and which the Palestinians also rejected. The plan says statehood will be contingent on Palestinians meeting international governance criteria.
Trump said he sent a letter to Abbas to tell him about the plan. “It’s going to work,” Trump said. “President Abbas, I want you to know, that if you chose the path to peace, America and many other countries ... we will be there to help you in so many different ways.”
Palestinian reaction
Thousands of Palestinians protested across the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, burning pictures of Trump and Netanyahu and raising a banner reading “Palestine is not for sale.” Abbas planned an emergency meeting to discuss the plan and invited officials of Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel’s destruction. The official Wafa news agency quoted Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as calling on Palestinian factions to set their differences aside and unite against the plan.
Another senior Hamas official said his group rejects the “conspiracies” announced by the U.S. and Israel and that “all options are open” in responding to the Trump administration’s plan. “The (Israeli) occupation and the U.S. administration will bear the responsibility for what they did,” Khalil al-Hayya said.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry urged Israelis and Palestinians to “carefully study” the Mideast plan.
What’s next
In the run-up to a March 2 election in Israel, Netanyahu had called for annexing parts of the West Bank and imposing Israeli sovereignty on all its settlements there. Netanyahu’s spokesman said Tuesday the Israeli leader will ask his Cabinet on Sunday to approve his plan to annex about 30% of the West Bank. Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Jordan Valley in particular is considered a vital security asset.
Under Trump’s plan, security responsibility for the valley would remain in Israel’s hands for the foreseeable future but could be scaled back as the Palestinian state builds its capacity.
The event came as Trump’s impeachment trial continues in the Senate and Israel’s parliament planned a hearing to discuss Netanyahu’s request for immunity from corruption charges. Netanyahu withdrew that request hours before the proceedings were to begin.