Trump’s Middle East Peace Plan: A Jolt To The Two-State Solution
K. Venkateshwar Rao
31 JANUARY 2020
31 JANUARY 2020
Contrary to the
promise of a “bigger and better deal,” the proposed Middle East
Israeli-Palestinian peace plan by US President Donald Trump appears to be an
exercise meant to benefit him and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in
the electoral battle. The p,an is likely to create problems rather than solve
them and is mainly meant to bolster the fortunes of Trump and Netanyahu in the
US and Israeli elections, respectively. Taking a sharp departure from decades
of the American policy that advocates the creation of a Palestinian state with
slight adjustments to the Israeli boundaries that existed before the
Arab-Israeli war of 1967, Trump’s Plan recognizes and legitimizes the Jewish
settlements built on occupied Palestinian territory, which are regarded as
illegal under international law.
The
Plan Threatens The Two-State Solution
Trump’s plan is not
only a threat to the idea of creation of a Palestinian state with its capital
in east Jerusalem, but the definition of the two-state solution also has put
caveats on the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state. As per the proposal, the
Palestinian state could come into existence only after they built a government
that satisfies both Israel and America. The US proposal also gives Israel the
right to annex the Jordan Valley, a critical territory that includes around 30
percent of the West Bank. As expected the Palestinians urged world powers to
reject Trump’s peace plan. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh in a
cabinet meeting said that Trump has released the plan because he is facing an
impeachment trial over abuse of office and Netanyahu is battling corruption
charges in a neck-and-neck election against Benny Gantz. As Shtayyeh said, “it
cannot be termed as a Middle East peace plan.”
Why
Did Trump Jettison The US Policy Of Creation Of A Palestinian State?
According to political
observers, votebank politics is the reason behind Trump’s decision to jettison
the American policy of sovereign Palestinian and Israeli states existing side
by side. Eighty percent of the influential white Evangelical Christian Americans
voting bloc who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 support the plan and Evangelical
Christians were also significant financial backers of the Trump campaign in
2016.
According to the
Evangelical Christians, God promised the Holy Land and Jerusalem solely to
Jews, and their return to power across the whole territory will pave the way
for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Evangelicals within the Trump
administration, such as Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo, also have been advocating in support of Israel’s aspirations for
imperialism as sketched in the new plan.
Why
Was The Plan Released Now?
According to political
observers, the timing of the plan is motivated more by the domestic politics of
Israel and the United States than resolving the conflict. Netanyahu is facing
trial on corruption charges and Trump is facing an impeachment trial.
Netanyahu’s American supporters hope that the plan will dominate the campaign
and energize his Likud base, since polls are showing continuing erosion of his
right-wing bloc. Netanyahu will use the plan as his central platform in the
general election to be held on March 2. Should Netanyahu win another term, he
will fulfill—sooner or later—his lifelong desire to end Palestinian
ambitions for statehood.
In any case, if Israel
annexes large parts of the West Bank, it will be impossible for the
Palestinians to establish a viable state. The two-state solution would finally
be completely buried.
Trump hopes the
proposal will present a rosy picture of his skills as a statesman, delivering
“the deal of the century”. The USA wishes to encourage other Arab states to
embrace the plan, and they, in return, would pressurize the Palestinians to
accept it.
Regardless of the
objective of the plan and the timing, political considerations or indeed
ideological and religious motivations, it comes with huge risks. The plan,
created under the supervision of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, falls short
of the objective to resolve generations of conflict between Israelis and
Palestinians. The proposed resolution strongly favors Israeli priorities rather
than giving both sides’ equal concessions.
The fear is that a
proposal that dashes the hope of a two-state solution might strengthen
hard-liners across the region. Trump may go down in history not for developing
a “bigger and better deal” but for burying the two-state solution as a path to
peace. Trump’s Middle East Peace Plan: A Jolt To The Two-State Solution
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