President Donald Trump hosts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu his arch rival Benny Gantz on Monday ahead of unveiling his so-called “Deal of the Century” already flatly rejected by the Palestinians.
The White House meeting with Netanyahu and, separately, with Gantz, thrusts Trump right into Israeli tense election scheduled in just over a month.
Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud and Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party are polling neck-and-neck.
Alongside visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Trump said that his plan has a “chance” — despite being flatly rejected by the Palestinians.
The US president said the plan would be unveiled at 12:00 pm (1700 GMT) Tuesday.
“We think we will have ultimately the support of the Palestinians,” he said. The plan is “something they should want… It’s very good for them, in fact it’s overly good for them.”
Trump also said that “many of the Arab nations” back his initiative.
Netanyahu praised Trump as “the greatest friend that Israel’s had in the White House” and once more described the peace plan as “the deal of the century.”
An Oval Office sit-down with Trump and a second session on Tuesday, when the two men are expected to roll out the so-called peace plan, will reinforce Netanyahu’s message that he has the US president’s ear.
It will also boost his standing while he fights a mounting corruption scandal.
Israeli, Palestinian Stances
Last Thursday, Trump described the still-unpublished plan as “great” and said it “really would work.”
Netanyahu said before leaving for Washington that he was “full of hope that we can make history.”
Gantz is also ‘enthusiastic’, saying the plan will “go down in history,” allowing “different players in the Middle East to finally move ahead towards an historic regional agreement.”
But on Sunday, Palestinian leaders warned that instead of bringing peace, the plan could trigger their withdrawal from key provisions of the decades-old Oslo Accords, which sought to map out peaceful Israeli-Palestinian relations.
“The US administration will not find a single Palestinian who supports this project,” the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
“Trump’s plan is the plot of the century to liquidate the Palestinian cause.”
Source: Agencies
