The Trump administration’s peace plan asked Israel to commit to setting aside territory for a future Palestinian state in exchange for its approval for annexing West Bank settlements, former US envoy Jason Greenblatt told Army Radio.
“Can the Israeli government declare the extension of sovereignty? The answer is yes,” Greenblatt said.
“But under the peace plan that we released, that comes with a commitment to set aside a certain area of land for the eventual potential Palestinian state,” he explained.
Greenblatt’s comments referenced a section of the US President Donald Trump’s Deal of the Century, that spoke of dividing Area C of the West Bank, between Israel and the Palestinians.
At present, that area, which makes up 60% of the West Bank, is under Israeli military and civilian law. Under Trump’s plan, Israel can annex half of Area C in the early stages of the plan. The Palestinians can receive the remainder upon completion of a four-year process to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
But there have been Israeli media reports that Israel has been asked to place half of Area C, under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority in tandem with its annexation of the settlements in the other part of Area C.
Greenblatt, who left his post in October 2019, told Army Radio that he could only address details of the plan that related to its unveiling in January 2020.
Many of the Israeli Right have applauded the sovereignty section of Trump’s plan, but have rejected its recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Greenblatt told Army Radio that he himself did not like to refer to the tried and true phrase of a two-state solution, which means different things to different people, he said.
Many of the Israeli Right have applauded the sovereignty section of Trump’s plan, but have rejected its recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Greenblatt told Army Radio that he himself did not like to refer to the tried and true phrase of a two-state solution, which means different things to different people, he said.
The “phrase we used in the peace efforts is a realistic Palestinian state that complies with 60-80 pages of important criteria,” he said.
The criteria for Palestinian statehood is part of what “differentiates the peace plan we released from the past efforts,” Greenblatt said.
“There's a lot of criteria for them to establish a state, as there should be,” he added.
The former envoy said he believed that the application of sovereignty should be done in conjunction with the US.
“I’m sure that once the Israeli government decides what it wants to do, it will do it in coordination with the White House, which I think is right approach,” Greenblatt said.
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