Washington: President Donald Trump on Tuesday will ignore accusations — led by the Palestinians themselves — of pro-Israeli bias and unveil what he says is a peace plan capable of solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Long held secret, the plan will finally be aired jointly by Trump and visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
Given that it has been rejected by the Palestinians, the latest of many US proposals to address the bitter, multi-generational Mideast conflict might seem to have little future.
But Trump insists he is optimistic and whatever happens, both he and Netanyahu could reap political benefits as they battle respective domestic scandals. “It might have a chance,” Trump said of the plan at an initial Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu on Monday.
Trump, whose impeachment trial in the Senate is entering a critical phase, said his plan was getting widespread support from “many of the Arab nations” and claimed that even Palestinians would come round to the idea.
“It’s very good for them, in fact it’s overly good for them,” Trump told reporters. “We think we will have ultimately the support of the Palestinians.”
Netanyahu, praising Trump as “the greatest friend that Israel’s had in the White House,” described the peace plan as “the deal of the century.”
Netanyahu faces corruption charges, as well as a tense election in just over a month where his right-wing Likud is neck-and-neck with Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party. On Monday, Trump also met separately with Gantz, but the limelight fell almost entirely on the incumbent prime minister — as will any political dividends from a peace plan favoring Israel. No Palestinians have been invited to the White House event.
They say they were never included in crafting the plan, which was overseen by Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh on Monday urged international powers to boycott the plan, which he said was designed “to protect Trump from impeachment and protect Netanyahu from prison.” “It is not a Middle East peace plan,” Shtayyeh told a cabinet meeting.
The plan, whose details still remained under wraps up to the last minute, has been gestating for so long that skeptics asked whether it really existed. (AFP)
