US President Donald Trump revealed his so-called “Deal of the Century” peace plan on Tuesday, claiming that it is the most detailed proposal that has been put out so far, as it provided precise technical solutions.
In short, the plan stipulates a two-state solution, but recognises Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, gives parts of West Bank to Israel, enforces disarming of Hamas movement and Gaza demilitarised, and ends the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
This was the first time that Israel authorised the release of a conceptual map for a peace plan, Trump said, adding: “today could be the last opportunity Palestinians will ever have to establish a state.”
“The Palestinian people have grown distrustful due to years of unfulfilled [American] promises. This map will double Palestinian territory and provide capital in Eastern Jerusalem where the US will establish an embassy.”
On the status of the religious sites, he explained that under his plan “Israel will work closely with the King of Jordan to ensure the status quo of the Temple Mount is preserved and ensure that all Muslims who want to pray in Al-Aqsa mosque would be able to.”
He called on the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to accept the deal, adding: “if you chose the path to peace, America and other countries will be there to help you through the way, your response will show the world to what extent you are ready to lead the Palestinians to statehood.”
“Soleimani ran an organisation called Jerusalem Liberation Forces [sic] and falsely promoted the false notion that a free Jerusalem should be at war with Israel. In truth, Jerusalem is liberated. It is time for the Muslim world to fix the mistake they made in 1948 when they chose to attack instead of recognising the state of Israel,” Trump blatantly said in an unprecedented statement by a US president.
Earlier this week, Trump discussed his proposal for Middle East peace in closed meetings in Washington, D.C. with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival in the upcoming Israeli elections, Benny Gantz. But no Palestinians attended the Monday meetings.
Netanyahu, who was standing beside Trump in the press conference, said that previous peace plans failed because they did not find the right balance between Israeli security and Palestinian aspiration. “I agree to negotiate peace with Palestinians on the base of your [Trump’s] peace plan.”
“You have been the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House,” he added.
Palestinian position
Palestinian politician Mohammed Dahlan asked on Tuesday Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to announce the establishment of the Palestinian state and ditching the Oslo Accords.
He affirmed the need for abolishing the accords of mutual recognition and security coordination, in addition to providing the necessary international protection for Palestinian people.
At the same time, the Palestinian Authority called on the Arab League in Cairo to hold an urgent meeting next Saturday to discuss Trump’s peace plan in the Middle East, adding that Abbas will attend this meeting.
Palestine’s Foreign Ministry asserted the importance of backing the Palestinian position by Arab countries and rejecting the American peace proposal, according to Palestinian local media.
Palestinian ambassador to Egypt Diab Al-Louh said Saturday’s meeting “comes at a crucial time, and requires a unified Arab position in the face of all schemes designed to exclude the Palestinian national question and undermine the two-state solution as well as the prospects for the establishment of a fully sovereign Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Based on Abbas’s request, the Palestinian leadership held an emergency meeting in the West Bank’s central city of Ramallah to discuss ways to combat the peace plan. It was reported that Hamas, leader of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine and Gaza’s ruler, attended the meeting as members of the Palestinian National Council.
The Palestine Liberation Organization said on Tuesday, despite the Palestinian rejections for the peace proposal, Trump claimed that it will be implemented without the approval of the Palestinian leadership.
Moreover, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the Middle East Quartet must join the discussions of the so-called “Deal of the Century.” The foreign minister was referring to a group of four sides, namely UN, US, EU, and Russia, who are involved in mediating the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
On the other hand, Abbas said on Monday that he received a call from Washington, but he refused to pick up the phone, asserting that he refused to be a traitor. He added that he only had two choices: either to die as a martyr or hang the Palestinian flag on the walls of Jerusalem.
In June 2019, Trump’s senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner announced that the “Deal of the Century” will include $50bn investments in Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon in its first phase, creating one million jobs in the West Bank and Gaza.
Kushner explained that out of the total amount, $13.38bn would be in grants, $25.689bn subsidised loans, and $11.6bn private investments.
