Ex-IDF chief said to tell US to consider situation in West Bank before peace plan released

Ex-IDF chief said to tell US to consider situation in West Bank before peace plan released

Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot warned US President Donald Trump’s top negotiator for Israeli-Palestinian peace to consider the “volatile” situation in the West Bank before releasing the White House’s peace plan, Channel 13 news reports.

The network says the meeting between Eisenkot and Jason Greenblatt took place on Tuesday in Washington. A number of experts on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process also sat in on the meeting, among them veterans of peace efforts during past administrations.

“The situation in the West Bank is sensitive and volatile,” Eisenkot is quoted saying, pointing US aid cuts and the Palestinian Authority’s economic woes.

“The West Bank is likely to ignite before, during, or after the presentation of the American peace plan. You must factor this into your considerations,” Eisenkot reportedly continued. “From the moment this genie is let out of the bottle, it will take five years to put it back.”

The White House has said it will release its proposal after a new government is formed and the end of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan in early June. The plan is expected to rejected by the Palestinians, who have boycotted the Trump administration over its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and perceived pro-Israel bias.

“Whether the peace plan is presented or not, there need to be steps taken to stabilize the situation on the grant so there will be a ‘win-win’ for both sides,” Eisenkot told Greenblatt, according to Channel 13.

The report quoted Eisenkot calling for a return of US security assistance to the PA security forces, improving economic conditions for Palestinians and dealing with issues such as education and infrastructure.

Eisenkot, whose term as IDF chief ended in mid-January, was reported to have issued similar warnings while still in uniform.