Trump’s “Deal of the Century” Is No Deal at All

-        Trump "not only creates a new Israel, but a new world. A world without international law, without respect for international resolutions, and without even the appearance of justice.".... Gideon Levy, a columnist at Haaretz.!!

-        In the globally widely circulated Washington Post, with deep knowledge of the workings behind closed doors... in its edition published this morning, Mr. By Ishaan Tharoor with Rubi Milin wrote an article about the deal of the century announced yesterday by President Trump, the article titled "Trump’s “deal of the century” is no deal at all."

-        Perhaps in the early stages of his presidency, it seemed plausible that an idiosyncratic figure like President Trump could untie the Gordian knot of peace in the Middle East. But instead of working to bridge the deep gap between Israelis and Palestinians that has preoccupied U.S. policymakers for decades, the Trump administration has spent the past three years making concessions to the first (the Israelis), with (complete neglect) of the latter (the Palestinians). Therefore, it was not surprising when Trump presented the supposed "deal of the century" on Tuesday afternoon that the White House proposal looked more like a potential agreement than a declaration of Palestinian terms of surrender..!!

-        The "vision for peace" now published by the Trump administration outlines a scenario in which Israel retains sovereignty west of the Jordan River, a capital in an undivided Jerusalem, and control over the enclaves and Jewish settlements dispersed in the Palestinian territories. The Palestinians, at the same time, get... little. In Trump’s blueprint, backed by Netanyahu, they would abandon claims to the right of return... of Palestinian refugees and accept a condition-bound route to a state made up of a patchwork of territories cut by roads and Israeli settlements. Security control of the eastern border with Jordan would be entirely for Israel, it calls for the dismantling of armed Palestinian groups, and it allocates a Palestinian capital on the eastern outskirts of Jerusalem — instead of a proper East Jerusalem, as envisaged by the international community and successive U.S. administrations..!

-        Netanyahu made clear at the White House what this meant: "On this day," he said in remarks before Trump, "I have become the first world leader to recognize Israel’s sovereignty... in Judea and Samaria" — the biblical terms for the West Bank that are commonly used in Israel — "and that is vital to our security and central to our heritage." Shortly after the remarks, reports emerged that Netanyahu’s government planned to vote to annex roughly 30 percent of the West Bank early this week.!!

-        Of course, the Palestinians, who were absent from the room and refused to hold talks with Trump officials once it became clear how unilateral their approach was, were not heard!! There were a few Arab envoys who attended the meeting, but none from the states that have served as key interlocutors with the Palestinians — including Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In fact, most Arab states have already withdrawn from or opposed the Trump-led initiative.!!

-        The Palestinians angrily rejected Trump’s plan. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said, "After this rubbish we heard today we say a thousand no’s to the deal of the century." "We will not kneel and we will not surrender!!".
But the unveiling of Trump’s plan represents a dead end for Abbas, whose primary role has been as steward of a moribund peace process that was meant to lead to a two-state solution. (The archipelago of Palestinian enclaves proposed by Trump — resonant with Israeli security concerns and more akin to the “Bantustans” in apartheid-era South Africa)

-        Trump and the plan’s team argue that his approach is a more realistic reflection of the facts on the ground.!! Israeli settlements in the West Bank and permanent control over the Jordan Valley are, in fact, a fait accompli. Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East man, argued that Palestinian political aspirations are not.... as important as economic development for their lands — a perspective opposed by most Palestinians, who will not trade their hopes for equal political rights for cash incentives!!

-        Critics claim that Trump takes the fundamental power imbalance between Israelis and Palestinians and pushes it in Netanyahu’s favor. Gideon Levy, a columnist at Haaretz, wrote: "Trump not only creates a new Israel, but a new world. A world without international law, without respect for international resolutions, and without even the appearance of justice."

-        The timing is also clear. The two men standing on the stage in the East Room of the White House are fighting for their political lives: Trump is the subject of an ongoing Senate impeachment trial, and on Tuesday the Israeli attorney general filed criminal charges against Netanyahu for corruption. The cases will hang over his bid for re-election in March.

-        Looking ahead, permanent Israeli entitlement to control the holy lands is a strong political tool for the core constituencies of both leaders — Trump’s evangelical Christian voters and Netanyahu’s Israeli nationalist right. "Trump and Netanyahu".

-        Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian mission in Britain, told the BBC in an interview that this is not about peace. In a separate conversation with Reuters, Zomlot pointed to what comes after the United States and the rest of the world abandon the specter of a two-state solution and reject Palestinian calls for equal political rights. "On 28 January 2020, it will represent the official U.S. stamp of approval for Israel to implement a full apartheid system," Zomlot said. "History will name Trump as the person who pushed Israel in the wrong direction."