When it comes to the establishment of a Palestinian state, Trump won’t put up with Netanyahu’s dismissiveness, Israeli diplomatic source says ? White House denies report as ‘false’
U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for an agreement with the Palestinians is in its final stages of preparation. The prevailing view is that it will be submitted to the parties involved early next year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be forced to accept it, even if he’s not pleased with all its details. “Trump is about to put forward a plan, and I have no intention of quarreling with him,” he told a coalition party leader recently.
A diplomatic source who is often in the U.S. and meets with Trump’s aides related that there’s disappointment with Netanyahu in Trump’s circles. “They think we stretched the rope too far,” he said. In what way, I asked. “They want us to implement confidence-building measures in relation to the Palestinians, and we say no to every request,” the source replied.
I pressed for details. The source noted that the Americans had recently submitted a variety of requests to Israel: grant the Palestinians building rights, offer them economic and commercial breaks, remove checkpoints, and the like. Each request triggered a meeting in the Prime Minister’s Office of all the relevant parties: army, Shin Bet security service, Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Defense Ministry – and settlers.
The settlers? Do they have a seat at the table, I asked. “Of course,” he said. “They send a representative to every discussion and he objects to every request. Everything is ‘too close’ to their settlements. And their view is always accepted.”
The Americans are fed up with Israel’s rejectionist stance, the source added, and they were really riled by the freeze on the Qalqilyah plan. The plan, which was publicized last June, and agreed on between Netanyahu and Trump and his envoys, called for expansion of the Palestinian city by about 2,500 dunams (625 acres) and construction of 14,000 new residential units. The expansion would be at the expense of Area C (under full Israeli control), and spitting distance from the Trans-Israel Highway.
When Netanyahu proposed the plan in the security cabinet, he came under heavy fire from Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Shaked (Habayit Hayehudi), and from Likud ministers. You might have thought he’d handed the Western Wall to ISIS. The plan was hastily buried, and Bennett checked off another victory vis-a-vis the premier.
I asked the source if the Americans would be willing to hear from Netanyahu the eternal reply, “Yes, but …” with regard to the question of establishment of a Palestinian state. The source said they would not. “With Trump there’s no ‘but,’” he asserted.
And what if Netanyahu nonetheless responds with a qualified answer? “That would be bad,” the source said. “In that case, it would become clear that we had succeeded in quarreling even with the most fawning administration of all time. That takes a special talent, no?”
I asked MK Michael Oren (Kulanu), a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and former ambassador to Washington – someone who knows a thing or two about America – whether that was indeed the situation.
The deputy minister chose not to comment, but shared a disturbing phenomenon he’s encountering among “liberal circles” in the U.S. According to Oren, some Democratic Party supporters are currently talking about a new “axis of evil” – which consists of Saudi Arabia, Trump and Israel.
Opposing them is the positive axis, the “sons of light” – who include Iran and Europe.
What weight do such circles have, I asked. They’re a depressed and depressive minority.
Oren sighed: “They’ll be back,” he said. “They’ll be back.”
In response to the report, the White House told Haaretz’s Washington correspondent Amir Tibon that: “It is hard to find the words to describe how false this story is and how out of the loop the sources are.”
This article is nothing more than wishful thinking by Ha’aretz’s Verter, suggesting that there is disagreement (a wedge) between Trump and Netanyahu, thus rally public opinion against Bibi.
The WH’s denial carries the truth, vs the usual fake news by Ha’aretz.
Haaretz using a non-existing source like a good leftist mass media!
Any plan will have to be submitted to a vote by the IL people!!!
The only acceptable plan is the Khedar’s “emirates”. The only one that poses no threat to IL short of enticing Pal to move out of IL with financial inducement!
If Pal have a mini-state, who will prevent mass in-migration of Muslims into the mini-state?
The real point is that Bibi always presents the enormous pressure he is under to concede this or that. If he were to stand up for Israel the way this article seems to be telling us that he does, the Uma would stand with him, irrelevant of the undeclared consequences. If the White house really objects and the state department does its thing, then it’s goodbye America and the fixed position aircraft carrier in the middle east.
There’s a whole lot more that needs to be done to drain Israel’s swamp. Nobody should have the impression that there is no swamp in Israel.
On the other hand, Gabriel’s point is very interesting: He tells the Saudis what to do or not do and they actually pay attention. And Gabriel seems to have the backing of the rest of the EU. So, is this again another ploy to strengthen Iran to the point where they attack Israel? We need some better analysis of middle east affairs from Israpundit.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/11431/palestinians-trump-rejection
Trump will find out that his “Ultimate Deal” is a non-starter with Abbas & Company. They are already making noises that are borderline anti-Semtic against Trumps trio of Jewish negotiators.
Abbas will not budge one centimeter on his demands. These being: right of return, 67 lines including all of Judea/Samaria, all of the holy places in the Old City and elsewhere, no IDF in Judea/Samaria and no Jews in Judea/Samaria. They also do not agree to a Jewish Israel as they want this to be a bilateral state for now. In the future they envision if Israel is coerced to agree to the foregoing they will destroy Israel and make it Palestine.
Abbas and company are trying to thwart Trumps attempt to forge a peace deal (starting with some normalization) between the Gulf States and Israel. They are afraid this will leave them toothless in getting what they want. They objected to the main focus of the latest Arab League meeting being Hezbollah and Iran. They were whining that the Arabs had no interest in the Palestinian problem.
When Trump tires of this will he agree to move the embassy to Jerusalem as promised?
This is wishful thinking on the part of Verter. Keep in mind that the WH denied it.
I think the Economist has it right.
Decoding Donald Trump’s efforts to draw a road map for Israel and Palestine
@ oldjerry: Don’t blame Pres. Trump. Blame Rabbi Rick Jacobs; Rabbi John Rosove and American Jewish sellouts who rose to prominence in the Clinton and Obama state departments as being Jewish experts on the Middle East such as Martin Indyk.
Why is everybody so quick to believe anonymous spooks, bureaucrats, and diplomats? Fake News appears to be the norm. “Caution is the better part of valor.”
@ Topaz:
It’s just a continuation of previous policy. Israel gives and gives and gets nothing in return. Thank you President Trump.
This is a Saudi-US plan. No need to say more! But, upon reading of the plan (what we are allowed to know), puts Israel back to the armistice times. Abbas gives nothing. I hope Netanyahu is not drinking the US Kool-Aid.