Israeli Ambassador: Trump Will Likely Present 'Deal of the Century' Early 2019

Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, stated that the Trump administration has discussed presenting the so-called 'Deal of the Century' peace plan with Israel for early 2019, but if it coincides with Israeli elections, it could be 'terrible.' According to Reuters, Mr. Danon added on Tuesday, December 6, during a press conference at the UN in New York that the Israeli government is 'not aware' of the details of the American peace plan. Jared Kushner, senior advisor to Donald Trump, along with a team of American officials, has been working for over a year and a half to draft a peace plan aimed at ending the decades-long conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, and recent statements from several American officials indicate that the plan is prepared for presentation. Israeli media reported that the plan was supposed to be presented by Donald Trump in the past few days, but an internal crisis within the Israeli government postponed it. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, has temporarily escaped a crisis that could have toppled his government, but the political turmoil in Israel shows that his government lacks sufficient support for survival with a shaky backing of 61 out of 120 Knesset members. Analysts in Israeli media have speculated that elections may be held in the spring of 2019 instead of the originally scheduled date in November 2019. Some leaders of parties allied with Netanyahu's government, although they remain in the coalition, have expressed doubts about the government's survival until the end of its legal term in the coming year. The Israeli ambassador to the UN, referring to the internal situation in Israel, said that if the American proposed timeline for the peace plan coincides with the Israeli elections, it would be 'terrible' as it could be interpreted as interference in the internal political discourse of Israel. According to Mr. Danon, 'The timeline, strategy, and message are solely in Israel's hands.' David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said on Monday that his country will present the plan 'at the right time.' Jason Greenblatt, the U.S. special envoy for negotiations and a collaborator with Jared Kushner in drafting the peace plan, emphasized two months ago that both Israel and the Palestinians can express their considerations regarding the contents of the plan. The likelihood of the American peace plan being presented comes while Palestinians have refrained from contact with the U.S. over the past year; they are angry over Trump's decision last year to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and then move the U.S. embassy to the city in mid-spring this year. A series of recent reports from American, Israeli, and Arab media have referred to details of the peace plan drafted by the Washington administration, although the U.S. has not confirmed these reports. These reports claim that the American plan is based on the existence of a Palestinian state in a limited part of the Palestinian territories; it maintains dozens of Jewish settlements in the West Bank; it asks several generations of Palestinian refugees to become citizens of the countries they currently live in or accept an alternative homeland, and the final status of Jerusalem will be postponed to more advanced stages of negotiations. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has stated that 'good things' will be given to the Palestinians, and Israel must be prepared to pay a heavy price for the U.S. recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of this country. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has already stated that not only he but no Palestinian leader will ever accept this plan, calling it not the 'Deal of the Century' but rather a 'blow of the century' to the Palestinians. Nabil Shaath, a senior official of the Palestinian Authority, also stated in an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the Palestinian government has asked the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to hold meetings to discuss the rapprochement of some Arab and Islamic countries with Israel while the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has made no progress. Mr. Shaath noted that the recent rapprochement of Arab countries with Israel contradicts the statements and commitments of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. According to this senior Palestinian official, 'Numerous resolutions of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation emphasize that no normalization of relations between Arab and Islamic countries and Israel should occur until the demands of the Palestinians are met based on the Arab peace plan and international resolutions.' Mr. Shaath's reference is to Israel's rapprochement with Oman, Bahrain, the UAE, and possibly Saudi Arabia. Benjamin Netanyahu, after his historic visit to Oman last month, confirmed on Sunday that he will 'soon' visit several other Arab countries. Netanyahu also tweeted that Israel does not condition the normalization and expansion of relations with the Arab world on peace with the Palestinians. Until recently, Israel claimed that establishing relations with Arab countries would also help peace with the Palestinians.