The president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas has threatened that Palestine will no longer be committed to all security agreements it has signed with Israel and America. The shocking announcement came just two days after the unveiling of Israel’s new government following a deal between Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz.

Abbas: Agreements With Israel and USA ‘Are Absolved as of Today’

“The Palestine Liberation Organisation and the State of Palestine are absolved as of today, of all the agreements and understandings with the American and Israeli governments and of all the obligations based on these understandings and agreements, including the security one,” Abbas said.

Abbas’s was protesting against the impending annexation of the West Bank under a plan drafted by US President Donald Trump’s administration. Just before his swearing in, Netanyahu had announced his intention of extending Israel sovereignty over settlements on the West Bank terming it a “glorious chapter in the history of Zionism.”

What Agreements Does Palestine Have With Israel?

Palestine has signed several agreements with Israel. These include the Oslo Accords, Hebron Agreement and Wye River Memorandum. These agreements have established the security parameters, cooperation frameworks and the civilian and security administrative divisions between Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

The Oslo Accords were a set of two agreements signed by the late Yasser Arafat, former leader of Palestine Liberation Organisation and late Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin. They were signed in Washington, DC in 1993 and in Egypt in 1995. The accords led to the PLO recognizing the State of Israel in return of Palestinians having some increased control over the occupied territories.

While the Oslo Accords have largely been credited with quelling extreme hostilities that had earlier existed between the Palestinians and the Israelis, long lasting peace is yet to be achieved.

The Key Importance of the Hebron Agreement

The Hebron Agreement was signed on January 17, 1997. The signatories were General Dan Shamron representing Prime Minister Netanyahu and Saeb Erekat representing Yasser Arafat. The protocol provided for the deployment of IDF troops in Hebron, the only major West Bank city not fully transferred to the Palestinians.

Under the protocol, Hebron was divided into Area H-1 and Area-H-2. The Palestine Police assumed responsibilities in Area H-1 while Israel retained powers and responsibilities for internal security and public order in Area H-2.

In summary, the Hebron Agreement provided the security, coordination, measures and arrangements to implement the Oslo II Accord of 1995 that sought to reduce points of friction between Israel and Palestine by giving broadening Palestinian self-government in the West Bank, while at the same time protecting Israel’s vital interests, particularly security interests.

The Wye River Memorandum

The Wye River Memorandum was signed in October of 1998 by Netanyahu representing Israel and Arafat representing the Palestinian Authority. Its aim was to facilitate the withdrawal of Israeli forces from parts of West Bank and the resumption of the implementation of the Oslo II Accord.

Although in the past Abbas had made several statements threatening to pull out of the agreements, he never made good his threats. However, there is a strong likelihood that this time he might take some steps to undermine the agreements.

‘Security Coordination With Israel is No More’

To prove this, the Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shttayyeh early this week directed the cabinet to start implementing Abbas’s announcement.

“Security cooperation with the United States is no more. Security coordination with Israel is no more. We are going to maintain public order and the rule of law alone,” Shttayyeh said

The Israelis, Palestinian Authority and America have always shared intelligence information to counter terrorist activities by radical Palestinian groups. Without such cooperation, Israel will be vulnerable to groups such as the Hamas who have constantly fired rockets into its territory.

The friction between Palestinian and Israeli forces is also bound to increase as both sides stop to cooperate in providing security in the disputed areas.

Fear of Increased Violence and Clashes

Citing Israel military sources, this week one Israel media company confirmed that the cooperation has indeed stopped. Israeli officials speaking to the UK Independent confirmed this saying they feared the halting of cooperation could lead to increased violence and clashes between soldiers from both sides.

But there are also others who feel that Abbas is only issuing threats to put pressure on Israel and won’t take any extreme step that could jeopardize his image and also negatively impact Palestine.

“Political statements of this magnitude could be very useful if they fulfil a domestic or international function deemed in the national interest of the issuing party,” said Khalil Jahsan Executive Director Arab Center Washington.
According to him anything short of that could be quite damaging and self defeating to the Palestinian Authority. “Issuing tough statements is vastly easier than implementing the plans outlined in them,” Jahsan said.

The main question is whether Palestinian Authority would be prepared to deal with Israeli retaliation such as refusal to recognize the Palestinian Authority Government which came into existence following the signing of Oslo Accords.

In the opinion of Jonathan Kuttab, a non-resident Fellow at the Arab Center Washington, “The Palestinian Authority is intricately tied to Israel in numerous ways.” Therefore dissolving the agreements is in effect dissolving itself since its very existence is based on those agreements, according to Kuttab’s analysis.

Another impediment to Palestinian Authority disengaging itself from the agreements is its dependence on Israel to meet some of its obligations . As stipulated in the Paris Protocol of 1994, Israel collects taxes on its behalf of Palestine in West Bank and Gaza.

According to Reuters the tax transfers makes up about 50% of the Palestinian Authority’s budget. Last year alone Israel handed around $430 million to the Authority. This money is needed to pay wages and to provide basic services, raising major questions about what happens if there is an interruption to the flow of these funds.

L'articolo Implication of Palestine’s Threat to Cancel its Agreements With Israel proviene da InsideOver.

For years, one issue has united countries across the Muslim world: Palestinian Liberation. Countries as diverse as Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan and Albania may have little in common, but their support for the Palestinian cause in all strata of society has been consistently loud and clear. But now, as the US strives to push through a peace deal viewed by many Palestinians as a humiliating annexation plan, these supporters are showing where their loyalties truly lie. In doing so, they threaten to push Palestine into the arms of its last remaining loyal friend: Iran.

Palestine’s Geopolitical Alliance Outlook

Outwardly, Palestine’s traditional allies are still on side. The EU and the African Union rejected Trump’s “Deal of the Century.” The Arab League, a union of 22 nations that includes Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Lebanon, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, denounced Trump’s deal as laying the foundation of apartheid, rather than a genuine two-state solution. Behind the scenes, though, many of these countries are wavering. 

“Arab regimes in the Gulf are much more interested in cultivating a discreet, but close relationship with Israel because of their shared concern with Iran, than they are in supporting the Palestinian issue,” Says Dov Waxman, Professor in Israeli Studies at UCLA. The “geopolitical and diplomatic reality,” he warns, is that Palestinians feel increasingly neglected by an international community that’s letting them down.

Saudi Arabia’s Palestine Dilemma

Of all these supporters, Saudi Arabia is in the most awkward position. Being a visible and public ally to Palestine is an important part of the Kingdom’s self-styled image as being a supposed guardian of Islam and protector of the faithful all over the world. At the same time, the country’s ambitious Crown Prince is looking to diversify the economy away from oil. This makes Israel – one of the region’s economic superpowers ⁠- too big a potential partner to ignore. 

In a 2018 interview with the Atlantic, Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Salman broke with years of Saudi foreign policy to acknowledge Israel’s right to their “own land.” In private meetings, he is reported to have criticized the Palestinian Authority over a perceived lack of willingness to negotiate with Israel. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Israel share an important mutual friend: the US. Working together is inevitable, even if all three nations find it politically expedient to play down these relationships back home. 

“The Saudis are trying to say one thing in Washington and another thing in the Middle East, and it’s not working out very well,” says Hady A. Amr, former Deputy Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations under President Obama. 

Growing Ties Between Saudi Arabia and Israel and Serious Tensions With Iran

This duality isn’t new. Behind the scenes, Saudi Arabia and Israel have been quietly working together to normalise relations for years. This was inspired partly by their shared resentment of Obama, who cooled ties with both countries while alarming Gulf State despots by showing support for pro-democracy protesters during the Arab Spring⁠ ⁠— Trump and Obama’s approaches “could not be more different”, says Amr.

Bringing the crisis to a head, though, is the mounting tension between Iran and its three shared enemies: the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia. 

Ever since President Trump withdrew from the Iranian Nuclear Deal in 2018, diplomacy in the Gulf has been spiraling into chaos, edging the region closer to inter-state war. The US and Iran publicly taunt and threaten each other, even flirting with the possibility of maritime conflict. Tehran also funnels its aggression into proxy conflicts with Israel and Saudi Arabia, the most destructive example being Yemen.

When the US assassinated Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in January – with the help of Israeli intelligence ⁠- many feared this would spark all-out conflict, one that would place Palestine firmly in the line of fire. “The Soleimani attack could have sparked a war, which could have opened a Hezbollah Israel front. We could still see something like that going forward,” says Amr.

“The world is concerned about the possibility of world war, but not Palestinians,” shrugs Shaher Haroun, Deputy General Manager for Palestinian Society for Care and Development in Al’Amari, a 70-year-old refugee camp near Ramallah in the West Bank. War, or something very similar to it, has long been the daily reality, he says. “We are used to it”.

Palestinians may dismiss the Iran-US tensions as bluster, but it’s already playing out in their own backyard

As the wording of Trump’s deal makes clear, the US “vision” is less about peace and prosperity than removing an inconvenient barrier to recruiting Israel’s neighbors into a coordinated effort to contain Iran. The document even lumps together the grievances and priorities of Israel and Saudi Arabia (which does not yet officially recognise Israel as a state), suggesting that Iran’s strategy to “encircle” both countries would be averted by better collaboration between Israel and its Arab neighbours following a peace treaty.

Saudi Arabia Praises Some of Trump’s Palestine Peace Plan, Iran Denounces ‘Devilish’ Plan

While he stopped short of endorsing a document that essentially absolves Israel and blames Palestinians for all facets of the ongoing conflict, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince expressed support for President Trump’s efforts. Likewise, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, praised some “positive elements” of the peace plan, while Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud announced the Kingdom’s intention to develop relations with Israel following a deal.

Iran, on the other hand, seized the opportunity to proclaim support for Palestine. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei strongly and publicly denounced Trump’s plan, tweeting (in Farsi): “The devilish and vicious policy of America toward Palestine called the ‘deal of the century’ will never materialize…all Muslim nations will confront them and will not let it materialize.” 

Tehran is putting both its money and its munitions where its mouth is.

Iran already supports Hamas, a fundamentalist political organisation and militant group that has controlled the Gaza strip since 2007, and to an even greater extent, its rival, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Iran supplies the PIJ with weapons, combat training and millions of dollars in cash, keeping the militant group engaged in active conflict with Israeli forces for years. The PIJ fired several hundred missiles towards Tel-Aviv in November 2019 alone. 

‘The Islamic Republic Sees Supporting Palestinian Groups as its Duty’

In response to Trump’s proposed peace plan, Khamenei publicly promised to step up support for Palestinian militants. “We believe that Palestinian-armed organizations will stand and continue resistance. The Islamic Republic sees supporting Palestinian groups as its duty,” he said. 

Iran has plenty of reasons to meddle in the Palestinian territories. First and foremost, it’s a strategically useful way to get at Israel by, as Amr puts it, using local militant groups “as levers to turn on and off when they’re needed.” The uptick in violence in Gaza following Soleimani’s killing suggests that Iranian revenge could indeed be a factor.

“Iran has an incentive to see an escalation on the Israeli-Palestinian front and to ensure that Israel’s southern border isn’t too quiet. Just to kind of remind Israel that it also has the ability to directly strike back,” says Waxman. “But obviously, the other reason for that escalation in violence is a response to Trump’s peace plan.” 

On a larger scale, taking over the reins as champions of the Palestinian struggle means challenging another major rival: Saudi Arabia.

“The Palestinian issue is a good issue for Iran to position itself as a kind of defender of all Muslims, and to generate popular support across the region,” says Waxman. “That is related to Iran’s desire to present itself as a kind of pan-Islamic power and to mobilize popular support, which is related to its long-standing historical rivalry with Saudi Arabia.”

Iran Wants to be Seen as an Islamic Power, Not Just a Regional Power

In other words, Iran wants to be seen as an Islamic power, not just a regional power. By positioning itself as the only Muslim nation left standing up to America and Israel while defending the rights of Palestinians, it intends to step into Saudi Arabia’s shoes as the foremost Islamic power. 

This comes at a particularly sensitive time for US-Palestinian relations; one which throws Saudi’s muted response into sharp relief.

In 2018, the Trump administration announced that it would cut all funding and support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which provides assistance and protection for over 5.5 million Palestinian refugees, and withdrew over $200 million in support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, citing concerns about Hamas’ influence in the region. 

Washington also abandoned all semblance of neutrality in the Israel-Palestine conflict, moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and closing the de-facto Palestinian Consulate. The contentious decision triggered days of protests in Gaza, with dozens of deaths and over 1000 people injured. Tehran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammed Javad Zariff, was quick to denounce the US embassy opening as “a great day of shame.” He accused the Israeli government of “massacring countless Palestinians in cold blood.”

Things have got so bad that the Palestinian Authority recently announced plans to cut ties completely with Israel and the US. According to Amr, this represents a dangerous U-Turn from the Obama administration, which made sure to keep in regular contact with the PA, despite tensions between the two sides. 

“At least we kept the lines of communication fully open and would regularly try to take positions that were bridging gaps between the Palestinian Authority and Israel,” he says, warning that Trump’s insistence on breaking all “long-standing international norms” has undone any genuine progress the US previously made in the region, undermining “three-quarters of a century of US international policy.” 

“Right now, what we have is a president that seeks to ignite nationalism around the world in his own political interests. And I don’t think it’s helpful to anyone,” he adds.

In the meantime, it’s little wonder if Palestinians caught in the middle drift into Iran’s orbit.

Trump Has Cut Off Palestinian Avenues of Democratic Change

By leaving the Palestinian Authority out of negotiations, Trump made it clear that their democratically elected bodies have no influence over the future of Palestinians’ land. Illegal Israeli settlements continue to proliferate in the West Bank with impunity, and Israeli President Netanyahu recently announced plans for thousands of new homes in occupied East Jerusalem. Waxman suggests that this indicates that Israel views the peace proposal as the US giving the green light to annex more of the West Bank. By contrast, Ariel Shannon pulled all Jewish settlers out of Gaza in 2005 amid mounting security concerns. Seen in this light, it’s hardly surprising that today, militant groups in Gaza enjoy support from around one third of the Strip’s residents.

However nefarious Iran’s motives, Palestinians are running low on options. The US has chosen Israel, loud and clear. Riyadh increasingly sees them as a hindrance, not a priority. The Arab world is losing interest. Not that Palestinians seem surprised; tell an inhabitant of Ramallah how passionately people in Riyadh or Amman champion their cause and you’ll get a raised eyebrow or a cynical smile. 

Palestinians are painfully aware that, despite being half the planet’s cause célèbre for generations, international outrage has failed to improve the situation on the ground. As friends fall away and combatting Iran becomes the region’s number one priority, it’s increasingly clear who they can ⁠— and can’t ⁠— rely on.

L'articolo As Palestine’s Friends Fall Away, Iran is the Last Man Standing proviene da InsideOver.

L'articolo Palestine Can No Longer Count On Many Former Allies proviene da InsideOver.

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Instead of being seen as an opportunity for peace, US President Donald Trump’s one-sided “Deal Of The Century” hit Palestine like an earthquake. Supposedly aimed at furthering peace efforts in the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the deal was instead seen by Palestinians as the “slap of the century.”

More About The Deal

The deal—which gives Israel the possibility of formal annexation of occupied territories—was announced on Tuesday, January 28 by Trump in a White House gathering where Israel’s indicted President Benjamin Netanyahu was also present.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected the plan soon after its announcement, deeming it unjust toward the Palestinian people. “Jerusalem is not for sale, our rights are not for sale and are not for bargain,” he said. “And your deal—the conspiracy—will not pass.”

Deal Falls Short Of Giving ‘Minimum Rights’ To Palestinians: Arab League

The following Saturday, the Arab League held an emergency meeting in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss Trump’s latest Middle East plan, which did not even meet “the minimum rights and aspirations of Palestinian people.”

The Arab League also said that it would not cooperate with the United States to execute the plan, adding that Israel should not implement it by force.

In the meeting, Abbas also announced that the Palestinian Authority was cutting all ties with the United States and Israel, including those relating to security cooperation. Palestinian Authority security forces have long cooperated with Israel in policing some areas such as in the occupied West Bank, and have also worked with other agencies such as the C.I.A. in intelligence sharing.

‘My Vision Presents A Win-Win Opportunity’: Trump

Trump and other U.S. officials said they expected Palestinians to object to the deal, but had nonetheless hoped they would find a compromise further down the line. The 181-page-long plan is said to be the product of a three-year effort by Trump’s advisers Avi Berkowitz, Jason Greenblatt and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

“My vision presents a win-win opportunity for both sides, a realistic two-state solution that resolves the risk of Palestinian statehood to Israel’s security,” Trump said.

Unrest In Palestine After Plan’s Unveiling

Palestinian officials denounced the plan even more as they have not had any input into it. Trump also disregarded inviting Palestinian representatives to the White House gathering on Tuesday where the plan was unveiled. Following the announcement of the plan, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Although the plan includes what Trump called a four-year freeze on new Israeli settlement activity on Palestinian soil, the plan proposes, inter alia, a U.S. recognition of Israeli settlements on the occupied West Bank and of Jerusalem as the “undivided” capital of Israel, providing Israel with formal control over territories that were seized during the war or belong to the Palestinian Authority.

What Palestine Wants

Palestinians demand to have the right to build a Palestinian state —with Jerusalem as its capital— based on pre-1967 maps. According to these borders, great swathes of the land still belonged to Palestine before Israel seized them in the wake of the 1967 Six-Day War.

“I will not have it in my history that I sold Jerusalem,” Abbas said.

The United States had already declared in November 2019 that it no longer regarded Israeli settlements on the occupied West Bank as inconsistent with international law, whereas the vast majority of countries say they are.

Palestinian Capital To Be At Abu Dis

The plan envisions the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state that excludes occupied territories and settlements, which it would concede to Israeli control, and have its capital in Abu Dis, an impoverished village just outside Jerusalem. Abu Dis stands at the demarcation of territories by the high wall that Israel has built all through East Jerusalem.

“The physical barrier should remain in place and should serve as a border between the capitals of the two parties,” the plan stated.

The plan also required that Palestinians must agree to a security arrangement with Israel and halt attacks by the Iran-backed Hamas. Earlier this month, tensions between Iran and the United States were particularly on the rise after a drone attack that killed Iran’s second-most-powerful man Qasem Soleimani.

Those tensions also bore upon regional U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—who previously encouraged Trump’s new plan—along with Egypt, where the Arab League meeting was held. In fact, representatives from Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates took part in the White House gathering when the plan was announced.

Will The US Stick With This Peace Deal?

Critics say the United States may ultimately strike the deal as Iran’s threat looms in the region and dominates their attention, but the plan is particularly politically favorable to Trump and Netanyahu, as one goes through an impeachment trial and the second faces indictment on corruption charges.

That same Tuesday on which Trump announced the plan, Netanyahu was formally indicted in court on charges of corruption on three different cases. But Netanyahu still strives for political survival as he looks ahead to the upcoming elections—his third in less than a year—next month.

Abbas To Speak To UN Next Week

Palestine’s U.N. mission said Abbas will speak in the U.N. Security Council next week, seeking for a vote on a draft resolution on the issue within the 15-member council. But the United States is expected to veto such resolutions, which will then allow the Palestinian Authority to take the text  to the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, where a vote should demonstrate the international community’s position on Trump’s deal.

Earlier, on Friday, February 31, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft warned Palestinians that objecting to the deal will only “repeat the failed pattern of the last seven decades.”

In a statement, Israel’s U.N. mission also said that it was preparing for Palestinian U.N. action and that it was “working to thwart these efforts and will lead a concerted diplomatic campaign with the United States.”

L'articolo Trump’s Middle East Peace Plan Stirs Further Tensions proviene da InsideOver.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu caught many people by surprise when he withdrew his request for immunity. The move came less that a month after the Netanyahu formally requested parliament to grant him immunity after he was charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Why Did Netanyahu Withdraw His Request For Immunity?

Notably, Netanyahu withdrew his request just hours before he appeared with President Donald Trump at the White House for the unveiling of the Israel-Palestine peace plan. There’s no doubt that the request for immunity was bound to be rejected by the Knesset after Netanyahu failed to lobby enough support including in his own party. His party the Likud had distanced itself from him in a courteously by announcing that it would boycott the session.

Faced with no other option, Netanyahu posted on his Facebook page saying that the proceedings in parliament would have been a circus and he did not want to take part in a dirty game . “I informed the Knesset that I am withdrawing my immunity request,” he wrote. This withdrawal now opens the way for legal proceedings against him to move on.

Immunity Was A Political Liability For Netanyahu⁠—And A Gift To His Enemies

With elections fast approaching the request for immunity has been one of the political weapons his political adversaries have been using to disparage him. Benny Gantz’s strong sentiments on the immunity hearings at political meetings showed how much he was yearning to send his rival to the political gallows. In mid January he told a faction of Blue and White in Tel-Aviv:

“Netanyahu has requested immunity and, we will use all parliamentary means and tools that are available to us to deliberate on his request,” adding, “I will not let anyone harm the democratic process and prevent such a hearing . Decisions on this issue must be made by tomorrow . We will not allow anyone to stall.”

According to sources there was even a plan’s to replace Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein if he did not allow the hearing on Netanyahu’s immunity to go ahead. However they were caught off guard by the Prime Minister’s decision to drop the charges during the US visit.

Netanyahu Shows His Political Cunning

Netanyahu is a clever politician he knew what he need to do take the wind out his opponent’s sail, and also to hold his party together. On top of that, members of his Likud party had been advising him to drop immunity so that the criminal case wouldn’t dominate the campaigns. Well aware of the situation he decided to drop the request at an opportune time during which he could also gain some political mileage⁠—rather than wait to be embarrassed.

This was intentionally planned to happen on January 28 so that it was overshadowed by the peace plan which he is greatly bunking on for his re-election as prime minister. While making the announcement Netanyahu didn’t hesitate to paint himself as a politician who was  out on a serious historic mission while his opponents were busy engaging in petty politics of immunity.

“Instead of understanding the greatness of the hour and rising above political considerations , they continue to engage in cheap politics that are damaging to this decisive moment in the history of the country,” Netanyahu wrote on Facebook.

Israel’s Political Battleground Has Shifted

This announcement effectively shifted the political battleground denying Blue and White  a key ammunition they had always used in their campaigns. Now Gant and his allies will have to find another weapon against the Likud party.

As if that was enough, While the Blues and White were busy pondering their next move they were thrown in another spin when the Israel-Palestine plan was announced shortly after. According to some analysts , through the deal Trump is helping Netanyahu politically in the hopes that, Netanyahu will help him in the 2020 US election, especially considering the influence Jewish interest groups wield in US politics.

Gantz’s Perplexing Dilemma

The reason why Gantz and his party are now in dilemma is that Israeli sovereignty has always been on top of his election agenda. Last year he vowed to extend Israeli sovereignty over the Jordan valley after Netanyahu promised to apply Israeli sovereignty over all West Bank settlements. But with the US peace plan proposing Israeli control over Jordan and the West Bank⁠—excluding East Jerusalem⁠—Gantz’s agenda appears to have been thrown in the trash bin. It is no longer needed if Netanyahu is already doing it.

As one Isreali political analyst said “Netanyahu, once on his political death bed, is now recuperating: running the show, overseeing historic moves, dictating pace, while his people are busy building Gantz political coffin.”

Within Gantz’s own party Blue and White, there are those who believe the proposal pulled the rug under Gantz’s feet in favour of Netanyahu. “Netanyahu will now take advantage of the new agenda until election day . He will squeeze this lemon to the very end and dictate the pace “ said one party official.

More Successes For Netanyahu

Putin’s decision to release Naama Issachar⁠—an Israeli woman who had been detained for drug trafficking⁠—capped Netanyahu’s week of success and is expected to boost his political standing. Putin took the move just a day before the Isreali leader arrived in Moscow to discuss with him the peace proposal. Netanyahu had personally assured Issachar’s mother that he would get her daughter released.

Whether all these will help Netanyahu to be re-elected remain to be seen. His annexation plan with Trump is already in question, while the latest opinion poll shows he is trailing Gantz by around two seats.

L'articolo Netanyahu Is Now Dictating The Pace proviene da InsideOver.

US President Donald Trump finally unveiled his Israeli-Palestinian peace plan on Jan. 28. The plan has been shrouded in secrecy and could well bolster peace in the region or deteriorate the security situation. Success may also hinge on the amount of diplomatic efforts that are dedicated to solving the most contentious issues in the coming days.

Reactions To The Trump Peace Plan

The plan has already elicited mixed reactions among pundits with Israeli Arab political analyst Marwan Bishara describing it as “opportunism, populism and cynicism all wrapped in one deal…it is as tragic as it is laughable.”  However, there is the belief in some quarters that the deal could pave the way for future negotiations between Israel and Palestine in reaching a viable two state solution.

What Is The Core Goal Of The Deal?

It appears the aim of the deal as highlighted in Trump’s remarks is to achieve long-term security for Israel by providing economic incentives to Palestine. “Palestinians are in poverty and violence, exploited by those seeking to use them as pawns to advance terrorism and extremism. They deserve a far better life,” Trump said while unveiling the plan in the White House.

For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who was also present at the peace plan’s release—described Trump as “the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House.” Netanyahu also added that he supported the plan because it recognizes Israel’s sovereignty over sections of Judea and Samaria in the West Bank, which are regarded as vital for Israel’s security. The timing of the announcement, however, raised some eyebrows with observers claiming it was meant to boost Netanyahu’s standing as elections loom and his political troubles persist, while others claimed it was meant to distract the public from Trump’s impeachment hearings.

Trump’s Meeting With Israeli Opposition Leader Benny Gantz

Earlier in the day before meeting Netanyahu, Trump had held discussions with Benny Gantz, who is also a front runner in the race for Israel’s leadership. This meeting was possibly done to avoid accusations that Trump was providing political leverage to Netanyahu with his peace plan release, or just because Trump wanted to win the confidence of both leaders since either of them could become Israel’s next Prime Minister judging by the current political uncertainty.

So far Gantz has expressed his satisfaction with Trump’s plan saying, “the President’s peace plan is a significant and historic milestone indeed.”

Palestinian Reaction To Trump’s Plan

The plan was outright rejected on the Palestinian side, with leaders describing it as dead on arrival. “After the nonsense that we have heard today, we say a thousand nos,” said Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas after the plan was announced.

This reaction comes hot on the heels of reports that he had refused to take a phone call from Trump to discuss the plan before it was unveiled. “They called me from Washington and I did not pick up the phone. I said no and I will continue to say no .., we are going for difficult days and we are beginning to bear the consequences,“ Abbas was reported to have said.

Since June last year Trump has been dangling a $50 billion investment fund carrot to the Palestinians if they accepted his proposal. This was unveiled in Bahrain last year by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is largely credited with crafting the plan. In reference to the $50 billion investment fund, Kushner said a deal could unlock prosperity for the Palestinians and security for Israel. The views among most Palestinians is that Trump’s aim is to use economic bribery to make them accept what they call Israeli occupation.

Palestinian officials have been skeptical of the plan ever since reports about it began to emerge. Some officials warned that Palestine would withdraw from the Oslo Accords if Trump went on to announce his plan.

“If Netanyahu begins annexation of Palestinian territory officially, this means Isreal’s withdrawal from Oslo Accords and agreements signed,” said the Palestinian chief negotiator Dr Saeb Erakat last week, while the foreign minister called for an international rejection of the plan saying it could jeopardize regional security.

Benefits Of The Deal

Despite the deal clearly favoring Israel, many analysts have agreed that it gives much more to Palestinians than what had been expected. The proposal of a two state solution as the core of the plan was a big step from an American perspective that has always resented Palestinian sovereignty.

According to the plan, the only condition that Palestinians have to meet to pave the way for the State of Palestine is to fight terrorism, stopping “pay to slay” payments for attacks on Israeli soldiers, implementing steps towards free speech and introducing political reforms.

Although the plan offers Palestine more territory, it gives Israel full control over major settlement blocks in the West Bank and establishes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. For Palestine the plan proposes that “the sovereign capital of the State of Palestine should be in the section of East Jerusalem located in all areas east and north of the existing security barrier including Kufr Aqab, the eastern part of Shujaat and Abu Dis, and could be named Al Quds or another name as determined by the State of Palestine.”

Even though Israel will maintain control of Jerusalem, Palestinians will continue having access to religious sites in the city. “Jerusalem’s holy sites should remain open and available for peaceful worshipers and tourists of all faith.” “People of every faith should be permitted to pray on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif in a manner that that is fully respectful to their religion, taking into account the times of each religion’s prayers and holidays as well as other religious factors.”

The plan also calls for a dematerialized Palestinian State with Israel maintaining overall security until Palestinians show “capability to secure the areas. The more the Palestinians show they can secure their areas and cooperate with Israel, the less Israel will have to do in terms of maintaining security,” the report reads.

In summary, there are several reasons why Trump’s proposal could fail. It is pro-Israel and it proposes only 70 percent of the West Bank should go to Palestine compared to the 94 to 96 percent proposed by President Bill Clinton. It sets the uprooting of Hamas in the Gaza as a precondition of statehood and other benefits that are unlikely to occur very soon. Nevertheless, although the proposal is likely to lead to violence in the near future, it could also open up opportunities for negotiations leading to long lasting peace.

L'articolo Trump’s Plan: Recipe For Chaos Or Giving Peace A Chance? proviene da InsideOver.