Trump Conditions U.S. Aid to Palestinians on Their Agreement to Negotiate Peace

Donald Trump conditioned the resumption of U.S. financial aid to the Palestinians on their agreement to negotiate over the 'Deal of the Century.' The U.S. President stated that cutting aid to the Palestinians is not disrespectful, but 'the disrespect is that they do not come to the negotiating table.' Recently, the U.S. halted a $300 million aid package to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian aid, which faced severe criticism from the Palestinians, UNRWA, and some other global entities. However, Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, said that the Palestinians have not shown appreciation for the generous U.S. aid. On Thursday, September 6, in a conversation with Jewish leaders and clergy ahead of the Hebrew New Year, Trump expressed serious optimism about his administration's ability to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace, stating that if the Palestinians do not negotiate, there will be no money until an agreement is reached. According to reports from the White House and Israeli media, Jared Kushner, Trump's senior advisor and the architect of the U.S. peace plan, and David Friedman, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, were present in this conversation. The 'Deal of the Century' is a plan that Kushner and his team have formulated after 19 months of investigations regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; however, it has not yet been officially released. Trump has often stated that reaching a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the hardest agreement, and if achieved, it will be the 'Deal of the Century.' In a speech on August 21, the U.S. President said that his administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem was a 'great' achievement for Israel, and the country 'must be prepared to pay a heavy price in negotiations over the Deal of the Century.' He added that the Palestinians will achieve 'something very good' in return. Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, who has repeatedly emphasized that the 'Deal of the Century' will 'never' be accepted by the Palestinians and the Palestine Liberation Organization, revealed last week that the U.S. has structured this agreement based on the formation of a confederation with Jordan and the Palestinian territories. Abbas stated that he rejected this proposal, saying it could only be considered if Israel is part of this confederation. Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN, also said this week to Russia Today that the idea of a confederation of Palestinian lands with Jordan can only be possible after the end of 'Israeli occupation.' According to Israeli media reports, Israeli officials rejected claims made by Palestinian officials that the Netanyahu government was behind convincing the U.S. to structure the 'Deal of the Century' based on a Jordan-Palestine confederation. Recent reports in Israeli and regional media claim that the 'Deal of the Century' proposes that Palestinians also give up their 'right of return' and that several generations of them living in Arab countries or other lands obtain citizenship of these countries as a 'replacement homeland.' Meanwhile, as Abbas prepares to attend the UN General Assembly soon in New York, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN stated that 'even if invited' by the U.S. President, Mahmoud Abbas would not meet with him. Despite emphasizing his administration's ability to achieve the 'Deal of the Century,' Trump has not mentioned any interest in meeting with Mahmoud Abbas; he had met with Abbas four times in a year and a half. In his conversation on Thursday with Jewish leaders and clergy, the U.S. President stated that his administration continues to support Israel in international institutions and remains committed to fighting anti-Semitism.