Let’s call Trump’s plan what it is: Oslo C
By: Gilead Sher
Pesident Donald Trump went to great lengths on Tuesday to present his Israeli-Palestinian peace plan — his “deal of the century” — as novel and even groundbreaking. But if you take a closer look, you’ll notice that we’ve seen much of it before.
It has considerable overlap with plans laid out by three previous U.S. presidents: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. In fact, Trump’s plan has so much in common with Clinton’s agreements in the 1990s — known as “Oslo A” in 1993 and “Oslo B” in 1995 — that honestly, it should probably be captioned “Oslo C.” Because, ultimately, there is almost nothing new in this peace plan.
That’s not to say Trump hasn’t had an impact at all, nor is it to say that Trump’s “Oslo C” is useless. For one thing, he has drastically changed the internal balance established by each of the previous US-sponsored accords, and officially placed the American position in favor of Israel at the expense of Palestinians. Moreover, he has legitimized Israel’s abolishing of international law in the Palestinian territories.
What we should do with Trump’s plan is use it as an anchor for future negotiations. And Palestinians should use the plan as a reminder that time is not in their favor.
As in the past, Israel swiftly accepted the plan, while the Palestinians rejected it even before its release. What’s different this time is that Palestinians might not receive the same Arab solidarity as they have in the past. The Middle East has shifted significantly, demonstrated by Saudi-Arabia and Qatar’s support of Trump’s plan.
The future of the Palestinian territories, and in turn the borders of Israel, is one of the most important issues faced by the state of Israel. A comprehensive and democratic decision regarding the territories’ future should be made by all Israeli citizens in a national referendum to ensure the future borders encompass the Zionist vision of a democratic and secure nation-state of the Jewish people within secure boundaries in Eretz Israel.
Annexation is too important to be decided by a second transitional government led by — with all due respect — a prime minister who is currently under indictment for corruption.
The set of pre-requisites the U.S. laid out in the plan are not new either: disarmament of Palestinians, cessation of terrorism and incitement, demilitarization, “One rule, one gun” for the West Bank and Gaza, a physically unimpeded land connection between Gaza and the West Bank, and the halt of settlement construction.
The choice Israel has to make is between separating itself from the Palestinians in a two-states-for-two-people fashion or trying to maintain the status quo and promote an annexation that will end the Zionist enterprise. This is what the extremists on both sides have been driving Israel to act upon.
Trump is now officially in favor of the two-state solution, following the policy of his predecessors in the White House, which were all based on UN resolutions in the 1960s and 70s.
However, Trump’s “Oslo C” differs from previous American administrations’ plans in a few small ways. First, it intentionally lacks a distinction between the large settlement blocks adjacent to the June 4, 1967 lines, as well as those surrounding Jerusalem, and the remote, isolated settlements located deep within the Palestinian territory.
Trump’s plan also ignores a 2016 UN resolution and determines that no settlement will be evacuated. This the first American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the settlements and the Jordan Valley.
For the full article, as published in "Forward" - Click Here