Mahmoud Abbas: Trump Seeks a Confederation of Palestinian Territories and Jordan

The President of the Palestinian Authority stated that the U.S. government's peace plan for the 'Deal of the Century' is based on the proposal to turn Palestinian territories into a confederation with Jordan. According to Mr. Abbas, he 'completely rejected' this U.S. proposal and told the American team that 'only a tripartite confederation that includes Israel' could be considered. Reports from several Israeli media outlets indicate that Mahmoud Abbas made these remarks on Sunday, September 1, to a group of representatives from centrist and leftist parties as well as activists from the Israeli peace movement who visited him in the West Bank. The U.S., Israel, and Jordan have yet to respond to Mr. Abbas's statements. The proposal to form a confederation including the West Bank and Jordan has been raised by some Israeli officials and global actors over the decades, but both the Palestinians and Jordan, which has a large population of Palestinian refugees, have repeatedly opposed this solution. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has tasked a senior delegation with the goal of achieving the 'Deal of the Century' to negotiate with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict parties over the past year and a half. The American delegation, led by Jared Kushner, Trump's senior advisor, has engaged in discussions with leaders from both sides multiple times during the early months of its mission. Palestinians suspended their dealings with Washington in protest against Trump's decision on December 6 last year to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and after the actual transfer of the embassy to Jerusalem on May 14 this year, which led to the deaths of dozens of Palestinians in violent protests, they completely severed contacts. Mahmoud Abbas added in his meeting with Israeli parliament representatives that 'in my four meetings with Donald Trump, he spoke of the dream of establishing a Palestinian state that is unarmed and whose security would be provided by NATO, alongside Israel.' However, according to Mr. Abbas, the recent decisions of the U.S. government are 'hostile' and aim to 'completely destroy' it. Mr. Abbas's reference is to the recent decision by the U.S. government to cut the annual $300 million aid to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian relief. The U.S. State Department has emphasized that UNRWA has entrenched the Palestinian problem over decades and that its programs have fundamental and irreparable flaws. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, echoed Trump's statements that Palestinians do not appreciate decades of U.S. aid. Despite the deep dissatisfaction of the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported the U.S. policy of cutting aid to the Palestinian relief agency. Some Israeli media have also reported that the U.S. decision regarding UNRWA is a prelude to the implementation of the U.S. peace plan, which is expected to be presented soon. It has been suggested that the government will present the peace plan drafted by Jared Kushner in the coming weeks. Two weeks ago, Mr. Trump stated that his administration's efforts for Israeli-Palestinian peace would continue and for the first time said that Israel must 'pay a heavier price' in the peace process due to the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital. The Israeli government has not responded to Mr. Trump's statement.