Global Geopolitical Series: Key points from Trump administration’s Palestine peace proposal

According to reports, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat discussed the Trump administration’s peace proposal at the PLO central council meeting that was held in the middle of the month in Ramallah. Here are key points from that peace proposal, which has not been public but leaked,

• The proposal recognizes Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel and announces that the United States would move its embassy there, which means Israel would no longer be discussing the status of Jerusalem.
• The future capital of the future state of Palestine will be somewhere on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Abu dis has been reportedly named as a possible location.
• The U.S. administration would approve the annexation of major settlement blocs to Israel. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed 15 percent annexation, while Trump proposed 10 percent.
• The U.S. will support common security concept for both Israel and Palestine, which has four pillars; a demilitarized Palestinian state with a strong police force, the creation of bilateral, regional and international security cooperation with the participation of Jordan, Egypt, and Washington. The Israeli forces will maintain their presence along the Jordan River and the central mountains of the West Bank, in order to protect the two states, and finally, Israel will continue to enjoy overriding security responsibility for emergency situations.
• Israeli forces will withdraw gradually outside Areas A and B in the West Bank and some territories from Area C. Later the Palestinian state will be announced within those borders.
• Israel would be recognized as the national homeland for Jewish people.
• Palestine will be recognized as the national homeland for Palestinian people.
• Israel would allocate parts of the ports of Ashdod and Haifa, and Ben Gurion airport for Palestinian use, while it maintains security control over those portals.
• Safe passage will be created between the West Bank and Gaza strip under Israel’s sovereignty. The Palestinians will manage international crossings however Israel will maintain maximum security control over them.
• Territorial waters, airspace and electromagnetic waves would be under the control of Israel without damaging the need of Palestine.
• A permanent solution to the refugee issue within Palestine.

So far, the PLO leaders including President Mahmoud Abbas has refused to accept the United States as a negotiator in the peace process and come to the negotiating table.