Trump’s Skewed Vision Gives Israel Everything It Wants
Donald Trump‘s “Deal of the Century”,
his “vision” of an Arab-Israeli peace settlement, is, as expected, a
boon for Israel and a trap for the Palestinians. Everyone knew this
would be the case. His deal could never have been otherwise. It was
concocted by a team of hyper-Zionists under the management of his
son-in-law Jared Kushner in whose bed his family friend Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu often slept.
During Tuesday’s launch, standing next to a smirking
Netanyahu, Trump announced that, under his “plan”, Palestinians would,
at long last, achieve their “state”. But, not for four years and on
condition Palestinians give up “terrorism”, legitimate resistance to
Israeli occupation, cease incitement against
Israel, “negotiate”, and,
according to Netanyahu, accept Israel as “the Jewish State” despite the
fact that 20 per cent of its citizens are Muslim and Christian
Palestinians.
Negotiate what? Trump’s “vision” gives Israel everything
it wants on the issues meant to be negotiated with the Palestinians:
Borders, Israeli colonies, Jerusalem and refugees. Under the 1993 Oslo
accord, these issues were supposed to be negotiated by Palestinians and
Israelis. Trump has unilaterally cancelled the land-for-peace formula,
the 1993 Oslo Accord and the subsequent peace process. Trump is
determined to dictate the outcome on these issues and to “legitimise”
Israeli “acquisition of territory by force”, which is inadmissible under
the UN Charter and international law, and illegal colonisation of
occupied Palestinian land.
What sort of “state” will the Palestinian entity be? If
Trump’s plan is implemented, this entity will be under Israeli security
control, will host more than 600,000 Israeli colonists and will be
totally surrounded by territory annexed by Israel, 30 per cent of the
West Bank. This entity will be controlled by Israel from land, air and
sea while Israel will have a recognised border with Jordan on the Jordan
River.
Trump’s “vision” would compensate Palestinians with
isolated enclaves in the Negev connected to Gaza. East Jerusalem, the
Old City of Jerusalem and its suburbs occupied by Israel in 1967, will
not be the Palestinian capital but will be recognised as part of
Israel’s “undivided” capital. Palestinians will be able to establish
their capital in the West Bank town of Abu Dis or overcrowded,
impoverished Shuafat, on the edge of Jerusalem. Most Palestinian
refugees will stay where they are, their right of repatriation revoked
while some will receive compensation for losses inflicted when Israel
was established. Israel’s only concession will be to freeze expansion of
colonies beyond their security borders.
Trump’s “deal” was intentionally designed to be dismissed
by the Palestinians who stand accused of repeatedly rejecting “peace
plans” which were unacceptable. The Palestinians, however, accepted and
planned to build upon the Oslo accords. Their aim was to achieve an
independent state in only 22 per cent of Palestine. But Israel did not
negotiate fruitfully on the basic issues or abide by Oslo’s terms and
redoubled colonisation of the land Palestinians expected for their state
in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital. Under
Trump’s plan, Palestinians lose control of security in the 18 per cent
ruled by the Palestinian Authority according to Oslo, although Israeli
forces constantly enter this area in violation of Oslo.
The Trump “vision” has been ready for roll-out for more
than a year. Why did this happen now? Determined to win a second term in
office in November, Trump has been in campaign mode ever since he moved
into the White House. However, he has been impeached by the US House of
Representatives for using his position for political gain and is under
trial in the Senate. Trump would like to divert attention from his trial
and proclaim a win-win foreign policy that is certain to win him votes
from white Evangelical Christians.
Under indictment for accepting bribes and breach of trust,
Trump’s chum Netanyahu is fighting an election in early March. If his
Likud loses, he could go to jail. Although he heads a caretaker
government which should not take any major political initiatives,
Netanyahu is expected to declare Israeli annexation of the Jordan Valley
and of all or some of the West Bank colonies.
The launch of his deal also took place on the day after
ceremonies for the liberation by Soviet forces of the Auschwitz death
camp in Poland where the Nazis executed more than a million Jews,
Gypsies and others. The timing was meant to remind the world that
Israel’s security must be guaranteed whatever the cost to the
Palestinians. This is, of course, a false claim as nuclear-bomb-armed
Israel has become by far the strongest military power in the region.
Criticism of Tump’s deal will also be met by accusations of
anti-Semitism, i.e. the anti-Jewish feeling that caused the Holocaust.
Trump’s vision was also revealed at a time the
Palestinians, who have rejected it, are in their weakest ever position.
The Arabs have become weary of the “Palestine Cause”. Palestinians
remain divided between the West Bank enclaves administered by the
Fateh-dominated Palestinian Authority and Hamas ruled Gaza. Although
President Mahmoud Abbas responded to Trump by calling for unity, it is
unlikely that he can bring this about. He has refused unity since Hamas
won the 2006 parliamentary election and in 2007 took over Gaza.
Furthermore, elected in 2005 as a peacemaker, Abbas’ term in office has
long since expired and his efforts at conducting meaningful negotiations
have been rebuffed by Israel, which has blamed him for refusing to
carry on. The Trump administration and Netanyahu may be waiting for
Abbas, now 85, to die or leave office so they can press for him to be
replaced by a leader who will agree to capitulate to Trump’s skewed
vision.
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The original source of this article is The Jordan Times
Copyright © Michael Jansen, The Jordan Times, 2020
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