Top White House Official Says Peace Plan Could Be Rolled Out Before March Vote

• Top White House Official Says Peace Plan Could Be Rolled Out Before March Vote
  by https://www.timesofisrael.com/
  ‘We’re not timing anything based on domestic politics’ of the two sides, says Robert O’Brien, confirming Israeli reports that Trump administration may release proposal within weeks.
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  A top White House official has said US President Donald Trump’s administration will not necessarily wait until after Israel’s March 2 elections to release its long-awaited peace plan. The launch of the so-called “deal of the century” has been delayed repeatedly by the political uncertainty in Israel, which will hold an unprecedented third vote in the span of a single year after two indecisive elections.
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  “I don’t think it necessarily depends on the elections,” White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien told the Axios website in comments published late Sunday. “They will have had three elections in a row, we’ll have to see.”
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  “The [US] president is looking for a solution on the Israeli-Palestinian front that is durable, is long-lasting, and we’re not timing anything we do based on the domestic politics, either the Palestinians or the Israelis,” O’Brien said. The comments dovetail with recent reports in Israel that the unveiling could happen in the next few weeks.
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  The first part of the proposal was presented last summer during the so-called Peace to Prosperity workshop in Manama, Bahrain. It dealt exclusively with financial incentives for the Palestinians in case a peace plan was concluded. The publication of the other part, which deals with the political dimensions of a proposed solution, was repeatedly delayed due to the lack of a full-fledged elected government in Jerusalem.
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  Reports quoting both Israeli and American officials suggested last week that the Trump administration could push ahead with the announcement. The White House was said to have grown increasingly frustrated as US elections draw near, a period during which any major foreign policy move could be seen as electioneering.
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