Reaction: can Donald Trump’s Middle East plan work?
Israel welcomes proposal but Palestinians give it ‘a thousand noes’
US President Donald Trump has proposed a Middle East plan that he claimed was a “realistic two-state solution” but panders to nearly every major Israeli demand and was immediately rejected by Palestinians.
The plan allows Israel to begin annexing all of its settlements in the West Bank with US backing and anticipates the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state with limited sovereignty after a transition period.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said Jerusalem “will remain Israel's undivided capital,” but claimed that a future Palestinian state would also have a “capital in eastern Jerusalem”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said his proposals “could be the last opportunity” for Palestinians.
However, the Palestinians were not present at the announcement. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has dismissed the plans as a “conspiracy” and given the proposal “a thousand noes”.
“I say to Trump and Netanyahu: Jerusalem is not for sale, all our rights are not for sale and are not for bargain. And your deal, the conspiracy, will not pass,” he said.
The ruling Hamas group in Gaza called Trump's statement “aggressive” and said the Jerusalem plan was “nonsense”.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and the UAE have released statements welcoming the Trump administration's peace plan.
The Jerusalem Post says the plan is “a seal of approval for Netanyahu’s longtime vision”. Another Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, says Palestinians “must refuse to engage with these fictional negotiations,” describing the plan as a “recipe for war, not peace”.
Referring to Trump’s offer of $50bn investment to launch the Palestinians’ new state, including a high-speed rail link between Gaza and the West Bank, The Times says the proposal “offers $50bn for Palestinians to give up Jerusalem”.
CNN says the plan is “another example of the real estate school of diplomacy that [Jared Kushner] and his father-in-law — both property magnates — keep trying to apply to the most nettlesome global disputes”.
Jeremy Bowen of the BBC says Palestinians will become “afflicted by more anger, despair and hopelessness,” adding: “In a combustible part of the world, that is dangerous. The Trump plan is a gamble.”
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he welcomed the plan, adding “only the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian territories can determine whether these proposals can meet the needs and aspirations of the people they represent”.
However, The Guardian, wonders where Israel’s neighbours are among Trump’s proposals. “All that's missing from Trump's Middle East plan is Palestinians,” says The Guardian.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
National Enquirer helped Trump in 2016, ex-boss says
Speed Read David Pecker says the tabloid published fabricated content to hurt Trump's rivals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Congress starts clock on TikTok ban in foreign aid bill
Speed Read Lawmakers believe that the app poses a national security threat
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Pros and cons of universal health care
Pros and Cons A medical system that serves everyone comes with its own costs, and they're not only financial
By Rebecca Messina, The Week UK Published
-
National Enquirer helped Trump in 2016, ex-boss says
Speed Read David Pecker says the tabloid published fabricated content to hurt Trump's rivals
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sitting in judgment on Trump
Opinion Who'd want to be on this jury?
By Susan Caskie Published
-
Myanmar: the Spring Revolution and the downfall of the generals
Talking Point An armed protest movement has swept across the country since the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi was overthrown in 2021
By The Week Staff Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is there a peaceful way forward for Israel and Iran?
Today's Big Question Tehran has initially sought to downplay the latest Israeli missile strike on its territory
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?
Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published