The famous Israel and Palestine issue has reached a new milestone recently when President Donald Trump announced his Peace Plan 2020 known as Peace to Prosperity. The Israeli authorities and the citizenry embraced the manoeuvring of Trump’s Peace Plan. However, the plan was outcasted by the Palestinian, and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas immediately denounced the plan as a “conspiracy deal” unworthy of serious consideration, making the decades-long pursuit of a so-called two-state solution appear more distant than ever. In the following discussion, the plan will be analysed in the context of the prejudice of Trump, but before addressing the initiative, it is quintessential to address the critical historical issue between the countries.
For it seems that this rivalry has its roots attached to the crucifixion or the qibla of Islam, but rather the rivalry seeks its inception from a promise which led to where we are now – a promise by the former colonizers of Palestine – the British. They promised the land of Palestine to the Jewish residents in Europe as well as the authorities of Israel. While both, Jewish residents and Israel, were dreaming of conquering this realm, the British also pledged the land of Palestine to the native Palestinians while discharging suzerainty of the colony. This led to a dilemma, whether the Land of Palestine- is an asset of Israel or home of the natives?
War is never a solution to any problem; therefore, many have tried to solve this issue, including the United Nations and the United States of America. From President George W. Bush’s “Road Map for Peace” in 2003 to President Donald Trump’s Peace Plan 2020, America has always been keen to resolve this issue to prove its world dominance. The Trump Peace Plan claims to be a ground-breaking document which will ensure peace to both nations. This document lays out a draft from political infrastructure to economic independence, from deciding on capital to talking about border security. This draft back support from the United States of America to both Israel and Palestine.
The Peace Plan, drawn by the – global peacekeeper – Trump, tends to set a prosperous way ahead for both the nations. This article shall reveal how the plan has been tilting on the side of Israel and strategically disturbs the peace of Palestine.
The Peace Plan talks about the territorial distribution between Israel and Palestine. The plan ensures that while the countries will have distinctive borders, the residing citizens in those areas will not be asked to move irrespective of their countries. Israel will have an undisputed authority over the Jordan valley, which consists a vast expanse of the West Bank while Palestine will get the Gaza strip. President Trump exclaimed in his speech that according to this distribution, Palestine would be receiving more than half the amount of land than they are currently in possession of.
While the plan seems to be working in favour of both the countries, this clause tends to tilt towards Israel on so many levels. Reports show Jordan valley has a lot of economic potentials as Dead sea and Jordan river, which are geographically very close to the Jordan valley, contributes to its fertile soil due to which they have a booming agricultural and tourism sector. While on the other hand, economic conditions in the Gaza strip are constantly collapsing due to terrorist activities which in-turn are resulting in rising unemployment and poverty. Assigning of the Gaza strip to Palestine will adversely affect the overall financial health of Palestine, resulting in a low GDP while at the same time, the Jordan valley will continue to prove itself an asset for Israel.
Jordan valley, a prominent area of the west bank, has been a conflicted area for a while now as Israel annexed this area during the six-day war in 1967 with Jordan. Although the majority of people who live there identify themselves to be Palestinians, Israel has occupied most of the expense of the bank and prevent the Palestinians from living in those areas or buying lands there. They are not provided with water or any basic necessities. Moreover, Israelis are now forcing them out of the remaining area. The international authorities, including the United Nations, have repeatedly pointed out that such annexation is illegal and the settlements of Israel’s civilians in such occupied territories is considered to be a war crime. Hence, declaring Jordan valley an annexation to the territories of Israel will show the complete disregard of international laws and insensitivity towards human rights on the part of the United States and more specifically, President Trump.
The Peace Plan also suggests transportation facilities will be built to connect the West Bank and Gaza strip for the Palestinian settlers to move across comfortably without causing security breaching for Israel. This clause clearly points towards the utmost urgency given to the security of Israel’s borders while neglecting the possibility of security issues that borders of Palestine will be facing due to the demarcation provided under the plan which divides Palestine into two parts connected through a passage across the territory of Israel. Therefore, Palestine will never be able to have an untied forefront against Israel in the case of a security breach.
The Peace Plan also discusses the capital cities for both nations. They suggest that Jerusalem will remain the undisputed capital for the State of Israel while the eastern Jerusalem, located at the outer edges of Jerusalem, will be acknowledged as Palestine’s capital. Jerusalem has been a conflicted area as it is considered to be the holy city due to its significant influence in the religion of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. So, the citizens of both countries aspire Jerusalem to be the capital city of their nation and proves their dominance by citing its religious sentiments imputed with the city of Jerusalem. Hence, the Peace Plan declaring Jerusalem as capital for Israel shows bias on the part of President Trump towards Israel and their lack of sincerity as a neutral party for negotiations due to the inconsiderateness towards religious emotions of Palestinian citizens.
Consequently, no measures will ever result in a fruitful truce until both the countries are relieved with the baggage of past atrocities. Even Palestinians at times claimed that there can be no future establishment of an enduring peace or the transformation of the existing hostile relationship between Israel and Palestinians unless Israel admits that its ethnic cleansing of 1948 was a great injustice and wrong.
This article proves that the Trump Peace Plan 2020: Peace to Prosperity is biased towards Israel. firstly, declaring the annexed of Jordan valley as legitimate territory of Israel is not only violation of human rights but it is also a more economically beneficial area as compared to the Gaza strip which is assigned to Palestine. Secondly, announcing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital while it holds such religious values for both the countries is exceptionally wrong towards Palestinian sentiments.
The Tump “Peace” Plan is more of a political move than for establishing harmony to prove world dominance on the part of President Trump in the times where more demands arouse in the country for impeachment charges against President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces corruption charges. Hence, such political intent behind the Peace Plan justifies the dissent of the Palestinian authority and their citizens.
