Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed in two separate speeches this week that Israel has no intention of evacuating any of the West Bank settlements in a peace plan despite announcing his eagerness to the White House’s so-called “Deal of the Century.”
Making remarks during an event at the settlement of Revava marking the 40th anniversary of the Samaria regional council in the West Bank on Wednesday night, Netanyahu said he will not allow evictions of any communities, likely referring in part to the evacuation of West Bank settlements as part of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
“We don’t forcibly evict people. We’re done with this nonsense. Israel under my leadership will not repeat the mistakes of the past,” he said.
Later on Wednesday, Netanyahu spoke on the occasion of the Egyptian national day celebration at the residence of Egypt’s Ambassador to Tel Aviv Khaled Azmi.
"I've been to war, peace is better, we're looking forward to see what President (Donald) Trump puts on the table and we will look at it with an open mind," Netanyahu said.
The US blueprint to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians driven by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and White House adviser, has been billed by the US president as the “Deal of the Century”.
Its precise outlines have yet to be revealed. But Washington made a first formal outing of the economic components of the plan at a “Peace for Prosperity” workshop held in Bahrain last month.
