Daily Times

US President Donald Trump has come up with a peace plan for the Middle East, which he is hailing it as the “Deal of the Century”. While Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister greeted it, Netanyahu’s challenger Benny Gantz also signaled his party’s agreement with Trump’s proposal, the Palestinians have rejected it. Let us take a brief look at the Palestinians’ objections.

They believe that according to President Trump’s plan, Israel annexes over a third of the West Bank including all illegal settlements and gets complete security control over the Palestinian “state” with no sovereignty, no contiguity, and no control over its borders; Israel gets all of Jerusalem, including the holy places; Palestinian refugees are denied return, not only to Israel, but to the Palestinian “state” unless Israel approves, so most will be forced to remain where they are; and every other wish of the Israeli hard right is fulfilled.

The Palestinians are wary, claiming that earlier the current dispensation in the corridors of power at Washington DC had recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem, closed the PLO office in Washington D.C., recognized Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights, defunded the UN body that provided education and health services to Palestinian refugees, and redefined the refugees to exclude the Palestinians. The main grouse of the Palestinians is that the deal has been concluded without consulting them. They feel aggrieved that as with the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and UN Security Council resolution 242 of 1967, the current world power, United States, has formulated a peace plan, which caters for the disposition of Palestine to meet the demands of only one side of the conflict.

Prima facie, the plan may not bring peace between Palestinians and Israelis instantly, but it is a base for building blocks for ensuring lasting security for both sides. President Trump and his team must appreciate that the underlying conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis can only be accomplished through a solid moral foundation rooted in justice, equality, and love

Let us look at the obverse view. Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, David Friedman and the other architects of this peace plan have put in a lot of effort into it for the last three years. Among the positives is that three Arab states although lacking a peace treaty with Israel-Oman, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-have been in attendance despite the fact that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been absent from the process.

It is encouraging that numerous US Presidents, Lyndon Johnson onwards tried to secure a peace plan but did not succeed while President Trump has managed to clinch the deal. It has been brought about that no Arab or Israeli would be uprooted from their home. This guarantees the preservation of all existing Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. Jerusalem would remain the undivided capital of Israel. At the same time, on the other side of the separation wall, eastern Jerusalem would become the capital of the Palestinian state, receiving a US Embassy. Palestinian residents in Jerusalem on the other side of the wall would be given the option to become Palestinian citizens, Israeli citizens, or remain as permanent residents. Israel would exercise security over Jerusalem’s holy sites, while Jordan would maintain its status quo authority over the Temple Mount and al-Aqsa Mosque. Muslim pilgrims would be guaranteed access. Palestinian refugees would be barred from Israel but processed in limited numbers into the new state of Palestine. Pending approval, the rest would be given the option of naturalizing into their nations of residence or relocating elsewhere. Funds would be set up to facilitate the process.

Israel would receive land in the Jordan Valley to address security concerns. Palestine would receive land in the Negev Desert for industrial development. All international access would be controlled by Israel, with corridors created for ease of domestic transportation to non-contiguous territory. For the first time, a conceptual map of Israel’s borders was released. Israel would guarantee a four-year freeze on all settlements outside the scope of this plan, while Palestinian leadership studies the proposal and moves to implement it.

Now let us get back to the Palestinian views. They feel that even if East Jerusalem will be their capital, the deal left the question of Jewish settlers moving into Arab neighborhoods unsettled. Refugees deserve the right of return but are left out of this proposal. The Jordan Valley is essential for Palestinian population expansion, agricultural development, and vital water supply.

Prima facie, the plan may not bring peace between Palestinians and Israelis instantly, but it is a base for building blocks for ensuring lasting security for both sides. President Trump and his team must appreciate that the underlying conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis can only be accomplished through a solid moral foundation rooted in justice, equality, and love.

Posterity will judge whether it is the “Deal of the Century” but building lasting peace will require taking baby steps of confidence building and enabling both sides to shed distrust and accept the inevitability of existing together. A lot of distance has been traversed since the Oslo Peace Accord, but lasting peace still eludes the region. While Donald Trump’s efforts must be appreciated but it necessitates more inputs before it can be termed as the “Deal of the Century”.

The writer is a retired Group Captain of PAF. He is a columnist, analyst and TV talk show host, who has authored six books on current affairs, including three on China