President of the United States Donald Trump is expected to announce his peace plan regarding the Palestinian cause within a few days. Trump declares himself the closest friend to Jews and People of Israel.
On Tuesday, Trump is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opponent, Benny Gantz in the White House.
Netanyahu said Sunday that he hopes to “make history” during his upcoming trip to the Washington for the expected unveiling of Trump's Mideast peace plan.
Addressing his Cabinet shortly before departing for Washington, Netanyahu described the current environment, characterized by close ties with Trump, as a once in a lifetime opportunity for Israel that “we must not miss." Trump's plan is expected to be extremely favorable to Israel.
“For three years I have discussed with President Trump and his team our security and national needs — dozens of discussions and hundreds of hours. In all of these talks, I found a receptive ear in the White House for the essential needs of the state of Israel,” he said. “I am going to Washington with a great sense of purposes, great responsibility and great chance, and I am hopeful we can make history.”
Israeli Elections, Netanyahu's Corruption Cases
There are only six weeks left until the election. Thus, it’s doubtful that it will be the magic pill that would give Netanyahu the majority he didn’t win in the first two rounds of elections in 2019 while fighting criminal charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes.
Netanyahu has tried many times to pert attention away from his legal troubles and focus his campaign on his close ties with Trump while Gantz, has focused his campaign on Netanyahu's criminal charges and expected trial.
Unlike Netanyahu, Gantz will quickly return to Israel to proceed with his plans in parliament to block a request by Netanyahu to receive immunity from prosecution.
As a result of Trump's plan release, the Israelis would be impressed by Netanyahu’s magic and would stream to the polls giving him four more years.
Israeli Media Doubts Peace Plan Goals
The plan's release has been repeatedly delayed, and it seems to have little chance of success. The Palestinians, accusing Trump of being unfairly biased toward Israel, have already rejected it.
There could be an American green light for the annexation of the Jordan Valley, perhaps a green light for the annexation of all the West Bank settlement lands — at any rate something that could show that only under Netanyahu could Israel get such delicacies from the American administration.
Israeli writer Raviv Drucker said that the proposal is “a political plan written with full coordination between Netanyahu and Trump.”
Haaretz’s Noa Landau says that the plan is a booby trap for Gantz, with the deal sending him to Washington just as immunity proceedings against Netanyahu are set to kick off: “That’s how the deal that was ostensibly supposed to lead to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians became the deal to bring peace between Netanyahu and Gantz. Or to be more precise, it’s Netanyahu’s Deal of the Century. He and Gantz were invited to discuss it together, as if they were the ones who needed to reach an agreement.”
“For better or worse,” writes Nahum Barnea in Yedioth, “the announcement of the deal, given its timing and also political consequences, is a huge achievement for Netanyahu. Time will tell if it is a life jacket or a swansong.”