US President Donald Trump announced his much anticipated peace plan an hour ago alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, amid Palestinian opposition to the initiative. In his address at the White House, Trump commended Netanyahu for making territorial concessions in the pursuit of peace and called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to accept his proposal.
Trump outlined his peace plan, saying that Jerusalem will remain the undivided capital of Israel, adding, however, that the US is prepared to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. The American leader also said that under his peace plan, no Palestinian or Jew will be forced out of their home and that “it is time for the Muslim world to fix the mistake it made in 1948,” referring to Arab and Muslim opposition to Israel’s declaration of independence at the time.
Trump said that a committee will be appointed to render a map of his administration’s proposed partition.
For his turn, Netanyahu praised Trump, calling him “the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House,” adding that the plan will allow Israel to exercise its full sovereignty over parts of “Judea and Samaria” (the West Bank) and the Jordan Valley, saying the occupation is a “big lie.”
Netanyahu said that Israel must have sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and the West Bank due to their strategic and historical significance to the state of Israel and the Jewish people, respectively, adding that controlling these territories will allow Israel to defend itself.
The Israeli Prime Minister also said that Israel will begin applying its laws in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, adding that his government will accept Trump’s peace plan as the basis for negotiations with the Palestinians.
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