US ‘deal of the century’ delayed until 2020: report

GPO

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Trump Towers in New York City, September 25, 2016

The Peace Plan was set to be published in June after the Israeli election.

The publication of US President Donald Trump’s long-anticipated “deal of the century” will be delayed until 2020, a report by the UAE-based paper Al-Khaleejonline reported on Saturday.

Three major developments have led to the alleged delay, the report claimed, citing Palestinian sources who met with European officials said to be close to the Washington administration.

The first reason, is the Palestinian’s refusal to engage with the US peace plan. The Palestinian Authority (PA) has repeatedly dubbed the deal “dead on arrival” and has in recent weeks, doubled-down on its unwillingness to participate in the US-lead economic peace conference in Bahrain next month.

Whilst Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have said they will attend the conference, according to the report, “the position of some Arab countries” is the second reason for the prospective 2020 delay.

In particular, the success of the peace deal hinges on the support of Jordan who said that that a Palestinian state within 1967 borders and Jerusalem as its capital was a non-negotiable condition to any agreements.

“The main reason that prompted the US administration to postpone the deal to a later date is related to the political shake-up that hit Israel after the failure of the leader of the Likud Party Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government and then call for the dissolution of the Knesset, triggering new elections,” Al-Khaleej reported.

Trump’s senior advisor Jared Kushner and Mideast Peace Envoy Jason Greenblatt previously said the plan would be released in June, immediately after the Israeli election.

Although Netanyahu said that the “little event” will “not stop us” there is no telling what the current state of Israeli politics means for the deal, with analysts indicating that the delivery is now more uncertain than ever.