Report: Biden quickly advancing plan for Palestinian state

The Biden administration, together with several Arab countries, is quickly advancing a plan for a timetable to create a Palestinian state the day after the war in Gaza ends, the Washington Post reported.

According to the plan, which the Post called a “comprehensive plan for long-term peace between Israel and Palestinians,” the timeline for the establishment of “Palestine” could be announced within the next several weeks.

The plan is being advanced quickly due to the proposed temporary cessation of fire suggested in the prisoner swap deals placed on the negotiations table.

The planners hope that a ceasefire of at least six weeks would allow time to announce the plan to the public, recruit support, and take necessary steps towards creating a state; they hope that an agreement can be reached before Ramadan begins on March 10.

One US official told the Post that, “The key is the hostage deal.”

The Post claimed that Israel is “the elephant in the room,” since Israel would need to agree to withdraw “many, if not all, settler communities on the West Bank,” as well as agree to “Palestine’s” capital being “East Jerusalem,” reconstructing Gaza, and allowing security and governance agreements for an Arab state in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.

“The hope is that Israel would also be offered specific security guarantees and normalization with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states that would be hard to refuse,” the Post added.

US officials also aid that the actions under consideration include “early US recognition of a Palestinian state,” even while the exact elements of such a state are being implemented.

A US official briefed to the talks explained to the Post, “We don’t want to lose the momentum of this moment by doing this in pieces and in parts.”