- The Media Line - https://themedialine.org -

Peace Proposal not Ready for Launch

The long-awaited next chapter in the long history of American attempts to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians is just about ready to be launched, but not that ready. On Wednesday, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman told Israeli journalists he was hosting at the American Embassy in Jerusalem that the plan should hit the streets “within months.” However long that turns out to be, the US still must overcome Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ vow to refuse to participate in any peace exercise under the aegis of America because having declared Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem, the US has taken itself off the list of honest brokers. Finding a mutually acceptable formula is known to be important to President Trump, who sees an Israeli-Palestinian pact as being “the ultimate deal.” His team of negotiators are all new to the task – an attribute rather than limitation according to many. The president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, heads the team followed by Jason Greenblatt, formerly an attorney with President Trump’s business. Ambassador Friedman rounds out the team. Observers say the proposals will have to be dramatic from the Palestinian perspective in order for the Palestinians to overlook the current anger direct toward the Trump administration.