US to Announce Middle East Peace Initiative on the 28th

Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Donald Trump will unveil his Middle East peace plan aimed at resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine on the 28th (local time).

According to major U.S. media and the White House press pool transcript, President Trump told reporters at the White House that the White House plans to release the peace plan at noon on the 28th (2 p.m. Korean time on the 29th). President Trump is scheduled to hold a summit with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the same day.

The online media Axios also reported, citing White House sources, that the Trump administration's Middle East peace plan will be announced on the 28th.

President Trump described it as a "very huge plan," saying, "It is the closest proposal so far. Let's see what happens."

Immediately after the summit with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Trump will also meet with Benny Gantz, leader of the Israeli centrist opposition party Kahol Lavan, who is considered Netanyahu's "rival," to discuss the Middle East peace plan.

President Trump explained, "We have the support of Prime Minister Netanyahu and the support of other Israeli opposition parties. I think we will also gain the support of the Palestinians. Let's see."

President Trump's Middle East peace plan was originally expected to be released in the second half of last year but was repeatedly delayed due to various circumstances, including confusion following the Israeli general election results. The plan is said to have been crafted with significant involvement from Jared Kushner, the senior White House advisor and Trump's son-in-law. Axios reported that a small negotiation team led by Kushner includes the U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, international negotiator Jason Greenblatt, and Brian Hook, the U.S. State Department's special representative for Iran.

While it seems certain that Netanyahu, who has received support from President Trump, will respond positively to this announcement, it is also assessed that Benny Gantz is unlikely to oppose it. Ahead of the Israeli general election on March 2, Gantz, who had opposed the announcement of Trump's Middle East peace plan, decided to visit the White House after meeting with Greenblatt earlier this month, suggesting some level of coordination. Axios predicted that the White House will individually explain the plan to Netanyahu and Gantz by the 27th and make an official announcement the following day.

The White House is making diplomatic efforts to have not only Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan but also European countries express their support for this plan.

Even if Israel accepts the U.S.-proposed Middle East peace plan, the issue remains whether Palestine will agree. Palestine has refused negotiations with the U.S. government since the U.S. recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Ismail Haniyeh, leader of Hamas, the armed faction in the Gaza Strip, warned on the 26th that President Trump's upcoming Middle East peace plan could trigger a new struggle for Palestinians, stating, "The new conspiracy targeting Palestine will surely fail."