Trump to Announce Details of ‘Deal of the Century’ Before Israeli Leaders’ Visit

- Trump to Announce Details of ‘Deal of the Century’ Before Israeli Leaders’ Visit
by MEE and agencies, https://www.middleeasteye.net/
No Palestinian leaders invited to White House for consultations as Abbas warns administration of crossing ‘red lines’.
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Donald Trump said on Thursday he will publish details of his controversial Middle East peace plan, dubbed the “deal of the century”, prior to a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his challenger in a forthcoming election, Benny Gantz, to the White House on Tuesday.
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No Palestinian leaders have been invited to Washington to discuss the long-dormant scheme.
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Israeli media reported on Thursday that, according to preliminary plans, Israel would claim sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and immediately annex all but 15 illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, as well as the land linking them.
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Jerusalem would be declared the capital of Israel, while the creation of a demilitarised Palestinian state would be agreed to at a later time.
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According to Reuters, Trump discussed the timing of the plan’s release with two architects of the plan, senior advisers Jared Kushner and Avi Berkowitz, on Air Force One while returning to Washington from Switzerland on Wednesday.
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Speaking to reporters on Air Force One en route to the Miami area for a political event, Trump said Palestinians might react negatively to his plan at first, but that “it’s actually very positive for them.” “It’s a great plan,” said Trump, who will meet with Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday. “It’s a plan that really would work.”
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Still, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that such a plan would result in the dissolution of the Palestinian government, requiring Israel “to assume its full responsibilities as an occupying power”. “We warn Israel and the American administration against crossing the red lines,” Abbas said in a statement.
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