Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss the American administration's so-called “Deal of the Century” with US envoys during this month’s Warsaw meeting on the Middle East.
Political sources in Tel Aviv said that Netanyahu will discuss Washington’s Palestinian-Israeli peace proposal with President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a senior White House adviser, Jared Kushner, and his special envoy to the Middle East Jason, Greenblatt.
The Middle East summit will be held in the Polish capital on February 13.
The discussions will also cover efforts to push forward Israeli-Arab relations.
The sources reported White House officials as saying that Kushner and Greenblatt will hold talks with Arab and European foreign ministers to tackle the “Deal of the Century”.
Washington was promoting the Warsaw talks as being focused on countering Iran’s malicious role in the Middle East. After European objections, however, the meeting has since shifted to bring together foreign ministers to push forward peace and security in the region.
Iran will be on the agenda, however, with Netanyahu set to deliver a speech about it.
US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are expected to attend.
Trump has been shaping his “Deal of the Century” since his arrival in office, but he has yet to reveal its details.
The Palestinian Authority, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, has rejected the plan because it does not meet the aspirations of the Palestinian people and is biased towards Israel. Arab countries have sought to amend the deal in favor of Palestinians.
Indeed, Israeli sources confirmed that the American administration has amended some articles of the deal to “create balance” between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Such amendments include establishing a Palestinian state on 85 to 90 percent of Israeli-occupied land in the West Bank. The Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem will serve as the capital of this state. The Old City of Jerusalem that includes the holy sites of the al-Aqsa Mosque and Church of the Holy Sepulchre will not be included in the deal.
The Mount of Olives, which lies outside the city walls, will remain under Israeli control but with joint Jordanian and Palestinian administration.
In addition, the deal will see two out of three Israeli settlement locations lumped into Israeli territory, while the third, seen as illegal by Israeli law, will be evacuated for the Palestinian state.
The American deal does not address the Gaza Strip or issue of Palestinian refugees.
Abbas’ spokesman, Nabil Abou Rudeina, had previously said that a plan for the establishment of a Palestinian state that does not include East Jerusalem and that is not based on the 1967 borders would be doomed to fail.
