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| Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt - architects of the Peace Plan |
Is it the ‘Deal of the Century’? Not really. But it could be. More about that later.
It was clearly an ‘out of the box’ plan - rejecting all previous notions about what a peace plan should look like and what is considered an obstacle to peace.
Israel loved it. Palestinian leaders hated it. I actually thought the plan would involve a bit more sacrifice on Israel’s part. But basically Israel gets everything it wants.
Justifiably so if you ask me. Palestinian leadership has innocent Jewish blood on their hands. Any Palestinians blood Israel has had to shed was defensive in nature.
Palestinians have not earned the right to be granted any favors. Not with their long history of terrorism against Israel. Such as suicide bombings of buses and restaurants. Thankfully Israel has implemented measures that have prevented that kind of thing in recent years.
It has also been the case that they never never willing to make peace with Israel going back to the very founding of the Jewish State in 1948. The great Israeli diplomat, Abba Eban put it this way: The Arabs never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Had the Arab nations accepted the partition of Palestine that United Nations voted in favor of in 1948 (the original 2 state solution) the Palestinians would have had their state over 70 years ago. And there would not have been a single Palestinian refugee!
Instead they tried to drive Israel into the sea then - and have tried to destroy Israel in every conflict since. Unsuccessfully, Thank God.
The primary points of this deal is that Israel gets to keep and annex all its settlements on the West Bank (including the Golan Heights, the Jordan valley, and other areas they need for security purposes); Jerusalem will become the undivided capital of Israel; Israel will retain control of their air space and be in control of their security; and Palestinians (or their descendants) will be not be granted the right of return to the homes they fled during Israel’s war of Independence in 1948.
In exchange for that Palestinians will get their own state on most of the West Bank and Gaza (which will be connected via a corridor) if certain conditions are met. From the Jerusalem Post:
The plan does not include immediate recognition of a Palestinian state; rather, it expects a willingness on Israel’s part to create a pathway toward Palestinian statehood based on specific territory, which is about 70% of Judea and Samaria, including areas A and B and parts of Area C.
The state will only come into existence in four years if the Palestinians accept the plan, if the Palestinian Authority stops paying terrorists and inciting terrorism and if Hamas and Islamic Jihad put down their weapons.
In addition, the American plan calls on the Palestinians to give up corruption, respect human rights, freedom of religion and a free press, so that they don’t have a failed state. If those conditions are met, the US will recognize a Palestinian state and implement a massive economic plan to assist it.
There are some (many?) people that will smirk (or even laugh out loud) at this as plan. They will assert with complete confidence that it was put together by incompetent amateurs with no experience that are pro Israel anti Palestinian.
They believe - as most people do that have a clue about this issue - that there is no hope of a plan like this ever being accepted by the Palestinian Authority. Especially since they see the Trump administration having such a one-sided approach to the conflict. They feel so strongly about this that they rejected the plan even before they saw it.
Whatever one thinks about President Trump, it cannot be denied that he is the most pro Israel President in history. Regardless how they view the policies he implemented based on that. So I can understand why Palestinians leaders feel this way. And why so many other might be laughing at this.
But is it really fair to ridicule this plan as a non starter put together by ignorant fools?
At first glance, one might think so. But what have the experienced negotiators come up with in all the years prior to this? Never mind. I’ll, tell you. Nothing! Palestinians are no better off now than they were before they even knew they were Palestinians.
It is not for a lack of trying. The attempt with the most potential came under the Clinton Administration when the President hosted then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and PLO Chief, Yassir Arafat at Camp David. In that deal, Barak gave away thee store. By which I mean he had made some serious sacrifices for peace. The most notable of which was giving them all of East Jerusalem including the Temple Mount. Arafat rejected it. (Which is another reason they are rejecting this one now. At the very least they believe they should get what they were offered then.)
So what is it about this deal that makes it any more acceptable than past deals? For one thing, this is the first time that some major Arab countries have urged the Palestinian Authority to consider that plan. Including the most populous Arab State in the region, Egypt.
It is also true that this peace plan is not written in stone. Israel has said it is willing to make further compromises for peace. Why shouldn’t Palestinians sit down at the negotiating table and see if they can’t better their lives. Starting with at least the willingness to give up their terrorist tactics? What has all their militancy gotten them accept more pain and death; poverty and corruption?
I think the last time there is key. Palestinian leadership does not want to give up their corruption because that enriches them. They therefore continue to sell their people the false narrative that it is Israel’s ‘brutal occupation’ or ‘illegal’ settlements that causes them so much pain. They point to the harsh security measures imposed on them by an Israel that needs to defend itself or protect itself from the terrorism they engage in.
Terrorism they obviously support by aggrandizing their terrorists as martyrs! And compensating their families with oney given to them by a generous united States government that is supposed to be used for humanitarian purposes. Thankfully Trump has stopped giving them that money.
They call it resisting the occupation. All with the world (sans America) is willing to buy into that narrative – Joining them in blaming Israel for their problems.
I wonder, though, were the Palestinians given the freedom to see things for what they really are instead of what their leaders say they are, maybe they would be willing to give this peace plan a serious look; decide they have had enough of being used as pawns by their leaders and… Take the leap! There is not a doubt in my mind that they would better their lives immeasurably.
Alas, that is not going to happen.
Just some of my thoughts.