Palestinians left with few options against Trump peace plan

Palestinians have rejected US President Donald Trump’s peace proposals but may struggle to push back if Israel launches the plan on the ground by annexing settlements and keys parts of the West Bank.

Trump’s initiative grants the Jewish state full control of Jerusalem and allows it to annex the Jordan Valley—a strategic area of the West Bank—as well as the settlements that dot the Palestinian territory.

In exchange, the Palestinians are being offered a form of statehood in what remains of the West Bank and Gaza, as well as the prospect of billions of dollars in aid and investment.

Palestinians across the political spectrum have condemned the plan.

In a Washington Post op-ed, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called on other countries to take the lead in negotiating peace.

But so far the international reaction has been mooted, with few indications of serious outside pressure on the US and Israel.

Israeli officials have said they plan to begin the annexation as soon as possible, maybe before elections scheduled for March 2.

“The Palestinians options are limited by several factors,” said Hugh Lovatt, Israel-Palestine analyst at the European Council for Foreign Relations.

“Firstly their own divisions, secondly the regional dynamics and thirdly splits among the Europeans.”

The Palestinians are split between Abbas’s West Bank-based government and the Islamists of Hamas, which control the Gaza Strip.

The two have been at loggerheads for more than a decade, though shared opposition to Trump’s deal allowed them to hold a rare meeting on Tuesday.

Regionally, Arab states in the Gulf have moved closer to the Jewish state amid shared hostility to Iran.

In a speech Tuesday evening, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said he had heard “promising (international) reactions against the Trump plan. We will build on them.”

But in reality Saudi Arabia and other regional players said they would study the proposals, withholding immediate criticism.

The United Arab Emirates went further by calling the plan an “important starting point” for peace talks.

The European Union is also split over how tough to respond if Israel goes ahead with annexation, diplomats said.In a meeting Wednesday, Erekat was to call on EU envoys to recognise the state of Palestine, a long-standing demand, two diplomats said.

 

Palestinians left with few options against Trump peace plan

Palestinians have rejected US President Donald Trumps peace proposals but may struggle to push back if Israel launches the plan on the ground by annexing settlements and keys parts of the West Bank. Trumps initiative grants the Jewish state full control of Jerusalem and allows it to annex the Jordan Valleya strategic area of the West Bankas well as the settlements that dot the Palestinian territory. In exchange, the Palestinians are being offered a form of statehood in what remains of the West Bank and Gaza, as well as the prospect of billions of dollars in aid and investment. Palestinians across the political spectrum have condemned the plan. In a Washington Post op-ed, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called on other countries to take the lead in negotiating peace. But so far the international reaction has been mooted, with few indications of serious outside pressure on the US and Israel. Israeli officials have said they plan to begin the annexation as soon as possible, maybe before elections scheduled for March 2. The Palestinians options are limited by several factors, said Hugh Lovatt, Israel-Palestine analyst at the European Council for Foreign Relations. Firstly their own divisions, secondly the regional dynamics and thirdly splits among the Europeans. The Palestinians are split between Abbass West Bank-based government and the Islamists of Hamas, which control the Gaza Strip. The two have been at loggerheads for more than a decade, though shared opposition to Trumps deal allowed them to hold a rare meeting on Tuesday. Regionally, Arab states in the Gulf have moved closer to the Jewish state amid shared hostility to Iran. In a speech Tuesday evening, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said he had heard promising (international) reactions against the Trump plan. We will build on them. But in reality Saudi Arabia and other regional players said they would study the proposals, withholding immediate criticism. The United Arab Emirates went further by calling the plan an important starting point for peace talks. The European Union is also split over how tough to respond if Israel goes ahead with annexation, diplomats said.In a meeting Wednesday, Erekat was to call on EU envoys to recognise the state of Palestine, a long-standing demand, two diplomats said.