Trump Administration Begins Crafting Peace Plan, Expected 'Early Next Year,' NYT Reports
'We have spent a lot of time listening to the Israelis, Palestinians,' Greenblatt tells Haaretz ■ Meanwhile, Abbas says if peace efforts fail, Palestinians will push for one-state solution in entire 'Palestine'
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has begun crafting a plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace, according to a report published on Saturday by The New York Times. The report didn't provide specific details about the plan but mentioned that the administration might complete its work on it "by early next year."
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According to the report, the administration is examining "non-papers" compiled on the different core issues of the conflict. Trump's special envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Jason Greenblatt, returned to Washington last week after a long visit to Israel, the Palestinian Authority and other countries in the region.
In addition, the president's senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, discussed the peace process with the leaders of Saudi Arabia during a recent visit to the kingdom, which was followed by a meeting between the Saudi leadership and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Greenblatt told Haaretz that "We have spent a lot of time listening to and engaging with the Israelis, Palestinians and key regional leaders over the past few months to help reach an enduring peace deal.
"We are not going to put an artificial timeline on the development or presentation of any specific ideas and will also never impose a deal - our goal is to facilitate, not dictate, a lasting peace agreement to improve the lives of Israelis and Palestinians and security across the region."
Also on Saturday, Abbas declared that if Palestinians don't get a state of their own as part of a two-state solution, they will ask for full civil rights as part of a one-state solution over the entire historic land of Palestine. He added that Palestinians will not agree to have a state without the Gaza Strip, nor will they agree to have a state only in Gaza. Abbas made these remarks in a speech, broadcast via video from Ramallah, to a demonstration in Gaza marking 13 years to the death of his predecessor, Yasser Arafat.
Jack Khoury contributed to this report
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