The Trump administration launched its plan to bring peace to
Israel and Palestine on 28 January 2020. Speaking alongside
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump
claimed his proposals could ensure a lasting settlement that
would bring peace, security and prosperity to both the Israeli
and Palestinian peoples. Prime Minister Netanyahu welcomed the
deal as did his main political rival in Israel, Benny Gantz.
However, the Palestinians have rejected the deal. Palestine
later broke off all contact with the American and Israeli
administrations in protest.
The deal proposes a ‘two-state’ solution aimed at creating
viable states of Israel and Palestine. However, observers have
questioned this characterisation on several grounds. These
include the potential nature of sovereignty that would be
afforded to the Palestinians, the control and future of
Jerusalem, and other issues long central to the peace process,
such as the ‘right of return’ of Palestinian refugees.
Territorially, the deal proposes to grant Israeli sovereignty
over controversial Israeli settlements in the West Bank as well
as land in the Jordan Valley. In return, the Trump
administration has proposed an expansion of Palestinian
territory elsewhere, notably in the desert region east of the
Gaza Strip, as part of a controversial programme of ‘land
swaps’ between the two peoples. This Palestinian territory
would remain undeveloped for four years to give the Palestinian
side time to negotiate and to meet several conditions to
acquire a form of sovereignty over the areas it would
administer. These conditions include the disarmament of
militant groups like Hamas, the renunciation of violence and
the recognition of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish
people.
International reaction to the proposals has been mixed.
Representatives of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman
all attended President Trump’s launch of the peace plan with
Israeli officials. Others such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt have
offered a qualified welcome to the proposals, welcoming US
efforts and expressing hope they will provide a basis for
negotiation. However, other regional actors such as Iran and
Turkey have condemned the proposals outright, calling them a
betrayal of the Palestinian people. The UK Government has been
receptive to the plan, with the Foreign Secretary, , welcoming the
initiative as a way of getting both sides around the
negotiating table.
