US President Donald Trump is set to unveil his plan to address the Israel-Palestine conflict on Tuesday, despite it already being rejected by the Palestinians.
Trump told reporters on Monday the plan, known informally as the “deal of the century”, would be announced at noon (5PM GMT) and claimed the Palestinians would “ultimately” come round to giving their support.
“I think it might have a chance,” he said alongside visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
Trump, currently facing an impeachment trial in the US Senate, is set to host both Netanyahu and his main political rival Benny Gantz at the White House on Monday.
Trump’s plan is widely expected to favour Israel, demonstrating once again that Netanyahu enjoys the US president’s unwavering support.
The deal stipulates that the Palestinian state would have no control over its air space, borders, crossings and would have no power to hold any agreement with foreign countries.
It proposes a tunnel to connect Gaza to the West Bank, however, Israel has yet to agree to this because it believes the tunnel can be used for weapons smuggling.
The deal would require Hamas and Islamic Jihad to relinquish their arms.
Some $50 billion in funding for economic projects would be made available for the proposed Palestinian state with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman joining leaders of other Gulf States in pledging funding for the deal.
After another meeting on Tuesday, Netanyahu and Trump are set to hold a joint press conference, during which details of the US administration’s proposal to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are expected to become public.
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The official White House schedule does not include the names of other participants in that joint appearance, but Israeli news outlets reported over the weekend that Washington is trying to recruit the foreign minister of at least one Arab country to attend, most likely a Gulf nation.
Palestinian leaders, who have not been invited to Washington, threatened on Sunday to withdraw from key provisions of the 1993 Oslo Accords.
The Oslo Accords resulted in Israel’s recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as a representative of the Palestinian people and a party to the peace negotiations, while the PLO officially recognised Israel’s right to exist peacefully and renounced the use of violence to achieve its goals.
In a statement on Sunday, the Palestinian foreign ministry said: “The US administration will not find a single Palestinian who supports this project.
“Trump’s plan is the plot of the century to liquidate the Palestinian cause.”
According to Palestinian officials, they are likely to be offered provisional borders over fragments of land comprising about half the occupied territories – or just 11 percent of what was recognised as Palestine under the British mandate – rendering impossible the existence of a fully functional independent Palestinian state
The Palestinian areas would be demilitarised, and Israel would have control over the borders and airspace.
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, which governs the besieged Gaza Strip, said on Sunday that Trump’s plan “will not pass”.
In a statement, Haniyeh said: “We firmly declare that the ‘deal of the century’ will not pass.
“The new plot aimed against Palestine is bound to fail,” and may lead the Palestinians to a “new phase in their struggle” against Israel.
