Report: Trump to Determine Fate of Middle East Peace Plan within Days

US President Donald Trump will reportedly decide within days whether to release his long-delayed Middle East peace plan prior to Israel’s March 2 national election. According to well-known Israeli political correspondent Barak Ravid, President Trump and his advisers are engaged in intense discussions on the pros and cons of publishing the proposal ahead of the Israeli vote, and of the possible ramifications. Another primary concern is the fast-approaching US presidential election in November. Ravid reported that President Trump is wary of how a cool response to the plan could impact his re-election bid, while at the same time acknowledging that the window of opportunity for him to release it during his first term – with no guarantees of a second term – is closing. Concurrently, Israeli media have reported that Jared Kushner, President Trump’s senior adviser and the main architect of the peace plan, is expected in Israel this week to attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum. According to the report, he will discuss the American proposal with both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Netanyahu’s chief political opponent, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz. For his part, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has given no public indication that he is prepared to end a boycott imposed on the Trump Administration in the wake of the US recognition in December 2017 of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.