Report: U.S. Peace Plan Divides Jerusalem, Keeps Israeli Settlement Blocs
- Report: U.S. Peace Plan Divides Jerusalem, Keeps Israeli Settlement Blocs
by HERB KEINON, MICHAEL WILNER, http://www.jpost.com/
Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said that the plan tilts toward Israel and is unacceptable to the Palestinians.
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Two days after EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini warned the US against taking “false steps” on the peace process, the pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Wednesday that the Trump administration’s plan to jump-start peace talks calls for east Jerusalem as the capital of a demilitarized Palestinian state whose borders do not match the pre-1967 lines. According to the Saudi paper published in London, Arab states are unhappy with the framework and are trying to change it before it is presented.
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Under the plan, according to the report, the United States would recognize a Palestinian state and its capital in east Jerusalem, on condition that the Old City would come under international protection. The plan calls for the Jordan Valley and major settlement blocs to remain under Israeli sovereignty, and for small, isolated settlements to be relocated.
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The Trump administration swiftly dismissed the report. “It is unfortunate that some parties are seeking to prejudice people against our unfinished plan, which these sources have not seen,” said Josh Raffel, a White House spokesman.
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“Nobody should be basing their reaction, public or private, on these reports.” Raffel said the peace team would continue working on its “real plan” and encouraged regional leaders to dismiss rumors in their press.
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US allies – including France, Britain and Saudi Arabia, where the sourcing for this report allegedly originated – have not been briefed on details of the plan, and thus are not in a position to confirm or deny its contents with authority. However, some educated guesses on specific proposals may ultimately land closer to truth than to fiction, given that the contours of the conflict are so well known.
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“This is a mix of possibilities and ideas, some of which have existed for decades,” a senior White House official said. “We are going to continue working on the plan that is designed to benefit both Israelis and Palestinians and will release it when it is done and the time is right.”
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