generalspeaking

The New Peace Template

"I have done a lot for Israel [and now] it is only reasonable that I have to do a lot for the Palestinians or it just wouldn't be fair."
"(Palestinian) President Abbas, I want you to know, that if you chose the path to peace, America and many other countries ... we will be there to help you in so many different ways. And we will be there every step of the way."
U.S. President Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump (R), joined by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, January 28, 2020, to announce the Trump administration’s much-anticipated plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

"Only a negotiated two-state solution, acceptable to both sides, can lead to a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians."
"[The proposal raise questions] about the involvement of the conflicting parties in a negotiation process and their relationship to recognized international parameters and legal positions."
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas

"No peace plan is perfect but this has the merit of a two-state solution, it is a two-state solution, it would ensure that Jerusalem is both the capital of Israel and of the Palestinian people."
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson 

"[Russia would assess the proposal, calling on Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate directly to find a] mutually acceptable compromise."
"We do not know if the American proposal is mutually acceptable or not. We must wait for the reaction of the parties."
Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov 

"France welcomes President Trump's efforts and will study closely the peace program he has presented."
French foreign ministry

"The position of the United Nations on the two-state solution has been defined, throughout the years, by relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions by which the Secretariat is bound."
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres

Palestinians burned an Israeli and a US flag during a protest in Gaza City. Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Palestinians, by the terms of the conditions laid out in the Trump peace plan are expected to begin comporting themselves like responsible, civilized human beings and lay away their hostility toward the reality of Israel's existence. The first order of business is the "rejection of terrorism", stopping "the malign activities of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other enemies of peace". Sounds like a sensible formula, should it be achieved, to lead to peace.

The plan mentions as well an end to corruption which runs rife through the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas reign in Gaza. Incitement of hatred and violence against Israel must be stopped, along with a final end to financing compensation to families of terrorists, much less the honouring of their exploits in killing Jews by naming schools and public squares after them, as heroes of the 'resistance'. The Palestinian Authority determination to avoid 'normalization' with Israel must be put to bed.

Israel, according to a White House summary of the proposed plan, is to retain security responsibilities west of the Jordan River. "Over time", the Palestinians would be expected to collaborate with Israel and the United States "to assume more security responsibility"; which is to say, to demonstrate that it is willing and able and trustworthy in that area. Jerusalem is to forever be Israel's "sovereign capital" in an "undivided city".

When and if the Palestinians demonstrate they are capable of and committed to meeting the conditions imposed upon them by civility and decency to become good neighbours to the existing state, enabling them to quality for one of their own, when their capital is finally established, the United States would be prepared to establish full and respectful diplomatic relations with that state by placing a U.S. embassy there.

And 'there' would be "the sovereign capital of the State of Palestine", presumably close to Jerusalem, but outside its borders in a Palestinian town. "All Muslims who wish to visit peacefully and pray" at the Al-Aqsa mosque on the plateau they name the Noble Sanctuary as the third holiest place in Islam, will be enabled to, under condition that Palestinians have no sovereignty over the Old City.

Israel will maintain its settlements on the West Bank, but a four-year ban is imposed on any new Israeli settlements as well as expansion of existing such in the areas designated for the Palestinian state. Palestinian refugees whom the PA insists on having the "right of return" to land they fled or were expelled from when fighting broke out at Israel's establishment in 1948 will have no such right, particularly given that the UN-recognized number includes all generations succeeding the originals.

Egypt soon afterward called for peace talks to resume under American sponsorship. Jordan is expected to oppose the plan, reflecting the pressure of its population largely of Palestinian descent.
Urging their return as the PA has always done is viewed as an obvious effort to dilute the Jewish presence in Israel through an influx of millions of Palestinians over and above the already existing two million Palestinians who are citizens of Israel.

Palestinian demonstrators carry banners and national flags during a protest against the US-sponsored Middle East economic conference that opened in Bahrain, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Nablus on June 25, 2019. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP)

A Jewish state with more than its share of non-Jewish residents who are accorded equal rights and take their place in the Knesset and at all levels of government institutions. As opposed, for example, to the Palestinian territories where Jews may not enter at risk of their lives.

"[The plan reveals a waste of legitimate rights of Palestinians."
"Our identity as Arabs and Muslims is over ... I felt totally ashamed watching Trump with the Israeli leader."
"[The League will study] the American vision carefully. We are open to any serious effort made to achieve peace."
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit

"This plan is a serious initiative that addresses many issues raised over the years. The only way to guarantee a lasting solution is to reach an agreement between all concerned parties."
"The UAE believes that Palestinians and Israelis can achieve lasting peace and genuine coexistence with the support of the international community."
"The plan announced today offers an important starting point for a return to negotiations within a US-led international framework."
United Arab Emirates

"The European Union will study and assess the proposals put forward."
"This will be done on the basis of the EU’s established position and its firm and united commitment to a negotiated and viable two-state solution that takes into account the legitimate aspirations of both the Palestinians and the Israelis, respecting all relevant UN resolutions and internationally agreed parameters." 
EU representative Josep Borrell

Labels: Israel, Palestinians, Peace Plan, President Trump

posted by Pieface @ Thursday, January 30, 2020