Trump to release peace plan ahead of Netanyahu and Gantz’s White House visit
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will release his Mideast peace plan ahead of the scheduled White House visit on Jan. 28 by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political rival, Blue and White Party chair Benny Gantz.
U.S. President Donald Trump, June 20, 2019. Credit: White House Photo.
“Probably, we’ll release it a little bit prior to that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew back from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“I’d love to be able to do that deal. They say that’s the hardest of all deals,” he said. “It’s a great plan. It’s a plan that really would work.”
Trump mentioned he “briefly” spoke with Palestinian leaders, and said that “we will speak to them in a period of time.”
The proposal’s release and the White House visit would take place more than a month before Israel’s third round of elections on March 2.
It is purportedly “the most generous deal ever” for Israel, which could include Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan Valley, and all settlements in Judea and Samaria, in addition to a demilitarized Palestinian state, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
The Trump administration opposes Israeli annexation of the Jordan Valley ahead of the peace plan’s release, reported Israel’s Channel 13.
The Palestinian Authority, which has been officially boycotting the Trump administration, is expected to reject Trump’s latest peace plan even before conversations begin.
The long-awaited “deal of the century” has been delayed numerous times due to the Israeli elections and other reasons. The economic component was released last June at a conference in Bahrain.
JNS previously reported that it would include recognizing a Palestinian state with its capital in parts of eastern Jerusalem. The Palestinians have claimed that sector of the city as the capital of a future state, a position supported by most countries. But Israel considers the entire city, including its eastern part, to be the Jewish state’s undivided capital.
JNS
