Trump’s attempt to work out Middle East deal faces setback
President Donald Trump once described the prospect of a peace pact between Israelis and Palestinians as the “ultimate deal,” a foundational diplomatic breakthrough that could burnish his presidency and help restore America’s standing in the world.
But the United States struggled at the United Nations on Tuesday to persuade the world that America is in the best position to maintain its exclusive leadership role in mediating an end to the decades-long conflict. Indeed, the U.S. has grown increasingly isolated at the United Nations since Trump announced his controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a step that most of the world, including all previous U.S. administrations, contended would have to await a final peace deal.
In a speech Tuesday before the U.N. Security Council, Mahmoud Abbas made it clear he was rejecting America’s long-standing role in leading Middle East mediation efforts. Instead, he proposed convening an international peace conference, including Israeli and Palestinians representatives, by mid-2018 that would recognize Palestine as a fullfledged U.N. member state, guarantee the protection of Palestinians, and recognize the international borders of Israel and Palestine, on the basis of 1967 borders.
“We come here before your august council in the midst of the deadlock of the peace process due to the U.S. decision regarding Jerusalem,” he told the 15-nation council. “In the coming period, we will intensify our efforts to achieve admission to full membership in the United Nations and to guarantee international protection for its people.”
Abbas left the chamber before Israel and the United States had an opportunity to deliver their formal response.
It remained unlikely that Abbas will be able to set the terms for international peace talks. But the proposal for an international conference was warmly received by other council members, including Russia and France, who have long sought to play a larger role in the Middle East Peace process. In a sign of the shifting mood at the United Nations, Abbas’ speech received a rousing applause from the packed Security Council chamber. The U.S. delegation, led by Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is leading U.S. Middle East peace efforts; and Jason Greenblatt, the president’s Middle East peace envoy, sat quietly without clapping.
In some sense, the response to Abbas’ remarks reflects the degree to which U.S. relations with the Palestinians have deteriorated since Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem. During a visit to the White House last May, Abbas had praised Trump’s “great negotiating ability” and said he looked forward to working closely with him to strike an “historic peace deal.”
In his statement Tuesday, Abbas asserted that the White House “has contradicted its own commitments and has violated international law and the relevant (U.N.) resolutions with its decisions regarding Jerusalem. So, it has become impossible today for one country or state alone to solve a regional conflict without the participation of other international partners.”
Abbas’ defiant tone also raised questions about the viability of the U.S. role as the undisputed, and evenhanded, leader in Middle East mediation efforts in the wake of Trump’s Dec. 6 decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vasily Nebenzia, urged the Arab League and the Middle East Quartet - which includes representatives from the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations - to step in to revive stalled political talks. He also pledged Moscow’s support in organizing an international peace conference.
France, which organized its own international Middle East peace conference with more than 70 states in Paris in January 2017, also responded warmly to Abbas’ proposal. France’s U.N. ambassador Francois Delattre cited Abbas’ “courageous commitment, which he renewed today in this chamber for for peace and negotiations.”
At the same time, Delattre urged the United States to reconsider its recent decision to cut more than $100 million in assistance to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, which provides essential services to more than 5 million Palestinian refugees.