Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Wednesday 29 January 2020

Trump peace plan delights Israelis, enrages Palestinians

Continued from Front "This dictates once and for bas, who accuses the U.S.
all the eastern border of Is- of unfair bias toward Israel,
Netanyahu called it a "his- rael," Netanyahu told Israeli rejected it out of hand.
toric breakthrough" equal reporters later. "Israel is get- "We say 1,000 no's to the
in significance to the coun- ting an immediate Ameri- Deal of the Century," Ab-
try's declaration of inde- can recognition of Israeli bas said, using a nickname
pendence in 1948. sovereignty on all the set- for Trump's proposal.
"It's a great plan for Israel. tlements, without excep- "We will not kneel and we
It's a great plan for peace," tions." will not surrender," he said,
he said. Given the Palestinian op- adding that the Palestin-
He vowed to immediately position, the plan seems ians would resist the plan
press forward with his plans unlikely to lead to any sig- through "peaceful, popular
to annex the strategic nificant breakthrough. But means."
Jordan Valley and all the it could give a powerful The plan comes amid
Israeli settlements in oc- boost to both Trump and Trump's impeachment trial
cupied lands. Netanyahu Netanyahu who are both and on a U.S. election year, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks after a meeting
said he'd ask his Cabinet facing legal problems and after Netanyahu was of the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
to approve the annexation ahead of tough elections. indicted on counts of fraud, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2020.
plans in their next meeting Trump called his plan a breach of trust and bribery Associated Press
on Sunday, an explosive "win-win" for both Israel in three separate cases.
move that could trigger and the Palestinians, and The longtime Israeli leader, territory," Netanyahu said. sidered the plan to impose
harsh international reac- urged the Palestinians not who denies any wrongdo- "No one will be uprooted no limitations on construc-
tion and renewed violence to miss their opportunity ing, also faces a March from their home." tion. Thousands of Palestin-
with the Palestinians. for independence. But Ab- 2 parliamentary election, The proposed Palestinian ians protested in Gaza City
Israel's third in less than a state would also include ahead of the announce-
year. He hopes to use the more than a dozen Israeli ment, burning pictures of
plan, and his close ties with "enclaves" with the entity's Trump and Netanyahu and
Trump, to divert attention borders monitored by Isra- raising a banner reading
from his legal troubles. el. It would be demilitarized "Palestine is not for sale."
The Palestinians seek all of and give Israel overall se- Trump said he sent a letter
the West Bank and east Je- curity control. In addition, to Abbas to tell him that
rusalem — areas captured the areas of east Jerusalem the territory that the plan
by Israel in the 1967 Mide- offered to the Palestinians has set aside for a new Pal-
ast war — for an independ- consist of poor, crowded estinian state will remain
ent state and the removal neighborhoods located open and undeveloped for
of many of the more than behind a hulking concrete four years.
700,000 Israeli settlers from separation barrier. "It's going to work," Trump
these areas. The plan would give the said, as he presented the
But as details emerged, Palestinians limited control plan at a White House cer-
it became clear that the over an estimated 70% of emony filled with Israeli
plan sides heavily with the West Bank, nearly dou- officials and allies, includ-
Netanyahu's hard-line na- ble the amount where they ing evangelical Christian
tionalist vision for the region currently have limited self- leaders and wealthy Re-
and shunts aside many of rule. Trump said it would publican donors. Repre-
the Palestinians' core de- give them time needed sentatives from the Arab
mands. to meet the challenges of countries of Bahrain, Oman
Under the terms of the statehood. and the United Arab Emir-
"peace vision" that Trump's The only concession the ates were present, but
son-in-law and senior advis- plan appears to demand there were no Palestinian
er Jared Kushner has been of Israel is a four-year freeze representatives.
working on for nearly three on the establishment of "President Abbas, I want
years, all settlers would re- new Israeli settlements in you to know, that if you
main in place, and Israel certain areas of the West chose the path to peace,
would retain sovereignty Bank. But Netanyahu clari- America and many other
over all of its settlements as fied later that this only ap- countries ... we will be there
well as the strategic Jordan plied to areas where there to help you in so many dif-
Valley. are no settlements and Isra- ferent ways," he said. "And
"The Israeli military will con- el has no immediate plans we will be there every step
tinue to control the entire to annex, and that he con- of the way."q