Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser, told foreign diplomats on Wednesday that the so-called “deal of the century” will not be released before the end of Ramadan, in June.
The Jerusalem Post Israeli daily quoted a source familiar with the remarks as saying that Kushner spoke in front of 100 foreign diplomats and ambassadors at Blair House and asked them to keep an open mind regarding the plan, adding “it would require both sides to compromise.”
He said the plan “will not jeopardize Israel’s security,” according to the report. He also said the plan has a “very detailed” political component, and will also have an economic component.
Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s special representative for international negotiations, tweeted on Tuesday that the peace team will not release any details ahead of time.
“Continued speculation doesn’t help anyone & harms the effort. We kindly suggest a stop to the guessing games,” he wrote.
Kushner spoke after Palestinians warned that the plan will be dead on arrival because it has removed some of the core issues from the table, such as Al-Quds (Jerusalem), settlements and refugees. The Palestinians have warned that the plan places all West Bank settlements under so-called Israeli sovereignty, a claim bolstered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign pledge to so.
Newly appointed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told The Associated Press on Tuesday: “There are no partners in Palestine for Trump. There are no Arab partners for Trump and there are no European partners for Trump.”
Greenblatt attacked the PA prime minister, tweeting:
“PM Shtayyeh, starting a new job by condemning a plan you haven’t seen is unfair to Palestinians. You have an obligation to first look at an opportunity before you dismiss it. The PA can continue to push us away, but that will do nothing to improve the lives of the Palestinians.”
“Why does the new PA Prime Minister hope for our plan to be “born dead” & for peace to fail? By working with us, perhaps something wonderful can happen for Palestinians. We’ve repeatedly said this won’t just be an economic plan,” Greenblatt said.
Source: Israeli media
