U.S. President Donald Trump had deferred announcing the details of his “Middle East Peace Plan,” which he deemed the “Deal of the Century” till after the April 9 Israeli elections.
The contents of the plan, which is being run by Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner and Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, remains vague.
The Palestinian administration, on the other hand, has severed all contact with Kushner and Greenblatt due to Trump’s pro-Netanyahu policies.
One of the crucial figures of this plan just happens to be Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who enjoys close relations with Kushner.
The Trump administration was counting on bin Salman to impose the plan on the Palestinians.
However, Saudi King Salman is said to have been perturbed by the course of events with rumors circulating that he had taken over the Palestine dossier from his son, seemingly shelving this leg of the plan for the time being.
It has also been ascertained that Jordanian King Abdullah, who has been a party of the Palestinian issue for quite a while, is fuzzy on the details of Trump’s plan. Back in March, the King had first met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, which was followed by a meeting with Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan in the U.S.
It was observed that King Abdullah, who also came together with members of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, emerged from these meetings in a grim state.
The details of his contacts in Washington regarding the Palestine Plan have only begun to emerge.
According to reports by American, Israeli and U.S. media, King Abdullah griped about the fact that members of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee held their cards close to their chests regarding the division of land between the Israelis and Palestinians.
It was also reported that King Abdullah conveyed that the plan was economy-based and that a political solution was not spoken of.
It seems that Kushner only related the economic dimension of the plan to Arab leaders and was stingy with the details of the plan’s political leg, meaning that leaders were left in the dark about Jerusalem’s status, land-sharing and a two-state solution.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at an advantage regarding the contents of the plan. The delegation that makes up Trump’s peace committee, primarily Kushner and Greenblatt, consists of names that have a long-standing close rapport with Netanyahu.
It appears that the Trump administration is of the mind that an economic plan sans a political solution will suffice for the Palestinians. For long years, a project called the Middle East Marshall Plan has been boiling in the U.S. It could also be ascertained that the project, which has the support of some billionaire U.S. businessmen known for their shady ties with Middle East regimes, was revised and forced on the Trump administration.
Trump doesn’t have a flawless Palestine plan. We’re talking about a plan worth hundreds of billions of dollars, with the Americans first in line and ready to pounce.
The aftermath of the relations between the Trump-Netanyahu duo blatantly show that the plan’s political dimension has been drawn focusing on Israeli interests. Netanyahu, who announced campaign that he would annex the West Bank during his election, told Trump that he wouldn’t remove a single person from Jewish settlements. Former U.S. administrations prioritized a “two-state” solution, as did the U.S. Congress.
However, the Trump government is being vague on what they think on the subject. All there is are abstract statements saying that the peace plan contains “good things” for the Palestinians.
It is clear that the plan will only be declared after the formation of the Netanyahu government, because Trump plans his every move according to Netanyahu.
The carrot and stick method is one of the fundamentals of American arrogance.
The U.S. believes it can solve any issue by using this scheme.
American arrogance, which has been inherited since the Cold War era, continues to belittle Palestinians’ struggle for an independent state and their honor.
Trump’s so called peace plan reflects this very arrogance.
