Trump proposes Palestinian state with capital in east Jerusalem. Dividing the ‘Apple of God’s Eye.’

by Zachary Halaschak | January 28, 2020. Washington Examiner

President Trump’s Middle East peace plan calls for a Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem, as well as a tunnel connecting the West Bank to Gaza.

The plan, announced midday on Tuesday, proposes a two-state solution in which Israel would freeze settlement construction for a period of four years. Dubbed by Trump as the “deal of the century,” the plan sets a number of benchmarks for Palestinians to reach in order to achieve statehood.

The benchmarks include fighting terrorism and bolstering free speech, among other reforms. Trump said the proposal is a “suggestion” and can set the basis for negotiations.

At the White House on Tuesday, the president called peace between the two parties “the most difficult challenge of all.”

“I was not elected to do small things or shy away from big problems,” Trump said to applause.

The proposal would also give Palestinians more land by offering land swaps south of Gaza. The future state would have to be demilitarized.

Trump met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political opponent Benny Gantz this week, and both have agreed to work on the plan regardless of who wins the upcoming Israeli election.

The plan was three years in the making and spearheaded by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Palestinians have preemptively rejected the proposal, with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas calling Trump a “dog.”

“They called me from Washington, and I did not pick up the phone,” Abbas said, according to the Jerusalem Post. “I said no and I will continue to say no … We are going for difficult days, and we are beginning to bear the consequences of the refusal. Resistance must be escalated at all points of friction. All young people must be encouraged.”

Protests rocked Gaza on Tuesday ahead of the announcement, with demonstrators burning tires and chanting.