Greenblatt Denies US Peace Plan Involves Three-way Confederation

Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, denied on Wednesday that the much-anticipated peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict included a confederation involving Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority. “King Abdullah II & Jordan are strong US allies,” Greenblatt tweeted. “Rumors that our peace vision includes a confederation between Jordan, Israel & the PA, or that the vision contemplates making Jordan the homeland for Palestinians, are incorrect. Please don’t spread rumors.” Greenblatt also denied reports last week that the proposal would give part of Egypt’s Sinai desert to the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by Hamas, the militant Islamist group. White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said on Tuesday that the so-called Deal of the Century would be made public in June, after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, added that because past efforts at peace had “failed,” the administration has “tried to do it a bit differently,” indicating the plan could deviate from a two-state solution, which has been the standard of past US peace efforts. Palestinian leaders have called for the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.