The Lebanese Al-Mayadeen television station on Monday released a purported draft copy of United States President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century” plan to divide Israel into two separate states.
According to the report, which detailed a timetable for Trump’s plan, the US is seeking a trilateral agreement between Israel, the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority and Hamas in order to establish a “new Palestinian state” in the West Bank, Gaza and parts of Jerusalem.
Although most of Judea and Samaria would fall under Palestinian control, the Tump plan calls for most West Bank Jewish communities to remain part of Israel and not be destroyed.
According to the report, Jerusalem’s Temple Mount would be placed under the control of Saudi Arabia and the rest of the capital would be “shared” between Israel and the PA, with the city’s Palestinian population being absorbed into a Palestinian state.
According to the report, Jews would be barred from purchasing Palestinian properties and Palestinians would be likewise prohibited from buying Jewish properties.
The report also mentioned the construction of a highway and pipeline for treated water between the West Bank and Gaza, sponsored by the US, the European Union and the Gulf states.
“An amount of $30 billion will be allocated over a period of five years for projects related to the new Palestinian state,” reported Al-Mayadeen.
Washington would provide 20% of the funds in the agreement, while the EU would give 10% and Gulf nations 70%. The contribution from the Gulf states would reportedly be split between them according to their oil producing capabilities.
Egypt would grant territory from the Sinai peninsula to Gaza in order to build industrial facilities and an airport but Palestinians would not be permitted to live in this territory.
Without even addressing the issue of the Saudis taking control of the Temple Mount, there are several problems with the Trump plan, foremost among them that it legitimizes the notion of Washington having authority to decide what should or shouldn’t happen in our land.
Another central problem is that the Trump plan is based on the failed two-state formula that has been at the center of Western policies in the Middle East for decades. In addition to its implementation not being feasible, the partition model negates the deep aspirations and grievances of both populations its meant to satisfy.
Real peace between Israelis and Palestinians cannot begin with an already decided upon framework, final status or timetable for implementation but must first focus on leveling power dynamics, addressing the real material needs of peoples on both sides and improving relations between the populations, which would then of course multiply the number of available solutions.
The Trump team responsible for authoring the “Deal of the Century” is led by Jews known to have deep emotional connections to Israel. US Middle East Envoy Jason Greenblatt, Ambassador David Friedman and Presidential Son-in-Law Jared Kushner likely had their perceptions of Israel’s best interests at heart during the years they spent crafting and fine-tuning their still undisclosed plan. But due to a lack of creative thinking and an inability to transcend the dominant US foreign policy paradigms, the best they could come up with has been “the most pro-Israel version of a two-state solution possible” which would still aim to decrease Israeli sovereignty in the cradle of Jewish civilization.
Washington’s interests in the Semitic region have long demanded the partition of Israel into two separate states, each dependent on US economic and military aid to survive. This stands in direct conflict to the interests of the Jewish and Palestinian peoples. But it’s likely to increase American dominance in the region, as well as the profits of the US military industrial complex.
For Israeli-Palestinian peace to ever work, US involvement in the process will ultimately need to be rejected. Israelis and rightist Diaspora Jews should stop lauding Trump as the “most pro-Israel” US president and start understanding the fundamental conflict of interests between Washington and Jerusalem.
According to Monday’s Al-Mayadeen report, rejecting the Trump plan could cause Israel to lose US economic and military support. Any serious material analysis of Israel’s situation would conclude that this rejection and loss of aid is actually Jerusalem’s best option. Israel doesn’t need a benevolent US emperor or the aid that keeps us subservient to imperial interests. Israel needs independence.
