Rabat – US President Donald Trump unveiled his “deal of the century” plan for peace in the Middle East today, January 28, during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, D.C.
Trump’s plan recognizes Israeli sovereignty over major illegal settlement blocs in the West Bank. With the proposed plan, Jerusalem would remain the “undivided” capital of the Jewish state.
Along with delegations from the US and Israel, ambassadors from the UAE, Bahrain, and Oman attended the conference in a show of their country’s endorsement of the plan.
The White House did not invite any Palestinians to the press conference. Palestine rejected the plan before Trump revealed its details, saying it was an attempt to “finish off” the Palestinian cause.
Morocco has firmly denounced Trump’s “deal of the century” in the past.
Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani affirmed last year that Jerusalem is a red line for Morocco and that King Mohammed VI will not accept a compromise on it.
In a meeting with elected members of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) on September 29, 2019, El Othmani maintained that Morocco has always supported and will continue to support the Palestinian people.
In letters and statements from King Mohammed VI, Morocco officially “expressed rejection for the deal of the century once and for all,” El Othmani stated.
Read also: King Mohammed VI: Israeli Acts in Palestine Cause Regional Violence
The terms
Trump claims to offer Palestine the opportunity to achieve an independent state, and his peace plan presents a new map of Israel and Palestine.
Trump says his plan offers Palestine “more than double” its current territory with a capital in East Jerusalem, where “America will proudly open an embassy.”
The president did not elaborate on the specifics of East Jerusalem, adding that Jerusalem would remain Israel’s “undivided” capital.
The plan orders a 4-year freezing of Israeli construction in the proposed “new territories” of Palestine.
No Israelis or Palestinians would be uprooted from their homes, the US president assured.
Trump added that Palestine would receive $50 billion in commercial investment should it achieve statehood, a proposal that the Palestinians rejected in June 2019.
Trump claims that his solution would create one million new jobs in Palestine, halve the poverty rate, and triple the country’s GDP in ten years.
The US president added that Israel would work closely with the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, to ensure that the status quo of the Temple Mount is preserved and that all Muslims who wished to visit and pray at the Al Aqsa mosque could do so.
Trump lauded his plan as presenting precise and technical solutions to make the region safer and more prosperous while offering the Israelis and the Palestinians a “win-win opportunity.”
Read also: King Mohammed VI Reiterates Morocco’s Principled Position on Palestine at OIC
The conditions
Trump’s promises to Palestine will only come to fruition if the Palestinians achieve statehood under the conditions set forth by the US and Israel.
The requirements for statehood, Trump explained, are the implementation of basic laws enshrining human rights; curbing financial and political corruption; eliminating Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and “other enemies of peace;” and halting “financial compensation to terrorists.”
“We are asking the Palestinians to meet the challenge of peaceful coexistence,” he stated.
Trump went on to address Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
“Your response to this historic opportunity will show the world to what extent you’re ready to lead the Palestinian people to statehood.”
“It is time for the Muslim world to fix the mistake it made in 1948 when it chose to attack instead of recognizing the new state of Israel,” Trump later stated. “It’s time.”
The Israeli PM, in his speech, demanded that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state as part of the terms of achieving their independent statehood.
Netanyahu demanded that Hamas be disarmed and Gaza demilitarized and that the Palestinian refugee problem be resolved outside of Israel.
“Jerusalem will remain united under Israel’s sovereignty,” Netanyahu declared.
The context
The unveiling of the plan, having been delayed multiple times, comes in the run-up to another election in Israel on March 2.
The last election in September did not elect a majority from any party, and the two parties with the most votes, the Blue and White party and the Likud party, failed to form a governing coalition.
Israeli opposition candidate Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party also came to the White House to meet President Trump.
Just a few blocks away from the White House, the trial over President Trump’s impeachment continues in the US Senate. After hearing the prosecution’s side on charges against Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, senators will listen as the president’s lawyers continue his defense today.
Seven members of the House of Representatives, called house managers, presented the prosecution’s side over 21 hours of trial last week. The House of Representatives kicked off the trial in the Senate when they impeached Trump in December.
Netanyahu is set to face a trial of his own after Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit formally indicted the PM earlier today on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
Netanyahu has called the investigation an “attempted coup” driven by the left and the media. He claims to be the victim of a “witch hunt.”
Read also: Deal of the Century – Implications for Jordanian Identity and Sovereignty
