Trump’s peace plan

Donald Trump is a man with plans. Unfortunately, they are usually terrible. The US president has unveiled a lousy proposal for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine problem. Never mind that the plan lacks explicit, or even implicit approval from the Palestinians. “Today, Israel takes a big step towards peace,” Trump said on Tuesday. “I was not elected to do small things or shy away from big problems.” But the timing suggests it was just a massively failed attempt to deflect attention from his impeachment trial. Trump’s defence team in the Senate trial has not offered even one shred of evidence suggesting he is innocent.

The plan includes several dead horses. One is the establishment of Jerusalem as Israel’s “undivided” capital, with a potential Palestinian capital to the east and north of the city. The closest the Palestinians have come to willingly conceding the city was under proposals for a soft shared capital. Making it wholly a part of Israel rubbishes Trump’s entire plan, but let’s go on anyway. The plan recognises most Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory as part of the country. Almost the entire world, including Israel’s allies, acknowledge that these settlements are illegal. As compensation for these fertile lands, Trump is literally offering vast swathes of desert. Empty, undeveloped, economically valueless desert.

The plan refuses Palestinian refugees the “right of return” to homes that have since been occupied by Israeli settlers and squatters. It could also strip tens of thousands of Arab-Israelis of the Israeli citizenship who live in 10 border towns that could be merged with a future state of Palestine. This is a slap in the face for patriotic Israeli Arabs, many of whom have even risked life and limb for a country that apparently couldn’t care less about them.

Unsurprisingly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who, like Trump, is also under criminal investigation, lauded the proposal as “a great plan for Israel”. Curiously missing was a single person who was willing to say the plan is great for Palestinians. An acceptable plan must be great for all parties, not a forced exchange of olive groves for sand.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2020.

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