Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Trump to Announce 'Deal of Century', Netanyahu Hails Best Friend of Israel


Mon 27 Jan 2020 | 07:30 PM
Yassmine Elsayed

US President Donald Trump is set to announce tomorrow his peace plan in the Middle East known as the "Deal of the Century" .. amidst a great Palestinian condemnation.

Few days ago, the US Vice President Mike Pence had met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition leader Benny Gantz in occupied Jerusalem, in preparation for the American plan, and invited both of them to complete discussions with Trump in the White House.

Before his meeting with Trump, the Israeli prime minister considered Trump to be "the best friend Israel has had" so far.

Israeli sources say that Trump will give a month and a half  of time before implementing the plan, that is, immediately after the Israeli elections, scheduled for the second of March. This was understood in the Hebrew state as a clear message from Trump of the need to form a government of national unity in Israel, and to end political instability in it, as there is no government with wide powers since 2019.

Earlier, leaks revealed that the "deal" would include Palestinian recognition of the Jewishness of the Israeli state, with its capital in Jerusalem, and that Israel would remain controlling the Holy Places, in addition to annexing more than 100 settlements in the West Bank and establishing the state of Palestine on the condition that Hamas give up its weapons.

Israeli media sources said that the town of Shuafat, located in the northeast of occupied Jerusalem, may be the future capital of the state of Palestine.

The newspaper "Yediot Aharonot" said, "The Century Deal" is to be established on an area of ​​70% of the West Bank lands.

In Palestine, Prime Minister Muhammad Ashtiyeh stressed before the Palestinian government today that the so-called "deal of the century" aims  to bring the Palestinian cause to an end, calling on the international community not to recognize it.

He added that the deal aims to fulfill the wishes of the occupation authorities, and does not constitute a basis for resolving the conflict, and and noted that this plan, which does not give occupied land to its people, does not recognize the 1967 borders, does not recognize Jerusalem as occupied land.