Israel
Israeli leaders' meeting with Trump is more about the election than the peace plan
The peace plan was thought to be a creature of myth, writes Anshel Pfeffer, but it will be presented today
January 27, 2020 14:07
The peace plan was thought to be a creature of myth, writes Anshel Pfeffer, but it will be presented today
January 27, 2020 14:07The President of the United States doesn’t usually hold consecutive meetings in the White House with both the leader of a friendly country and the leader of its opposition. Neither does the President usually present a peace plan for resolving a major conflict and meet the leaders of just one side. But nothing is usual about the current state of affairs between Israel, America and the Palestinians.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz’s meetings today with Donald Trump were scheduled as a result of last minute, haphazard behind the scenes maneuvering. Ostensibly, they were fixed to discuss the unveiling of Mr Trump’s much awaited peace plan. In reality, they have much more to do with internal Israeli politics and the relationship between Jerusalem and Washington, than the future of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Mr Trump has been talking of achieving a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, literally since the day after his surprise election as president in November 2016. Since then the plan, drawn up by his son-in-law and closest advisor, Jared Kushner, has become a creature of myth, its roll-out delayed over and over again until many ceased to believe it even existed.
The news last Thursday, in the closing stages of the mega-summit in Jerusalem marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, that the Trump administration would be presenting the plan this week came after weeks of rumours - but also disbelief that it would be revealed so close to an Israeli election.
Just before he left Jerusalem, Vice President Mike Pence finally confirmed the reports and announced that both political rivals, Netanyahu and Gantz, had been invited to Washington to discuss the plan with the president.
The timing could hardly be more suspect. Not only are there less than five weeks to the election but Tuesday is the very day when the Knesset is to be convened against Mr Netanyahu’s wishes to empanel a committee which will debate his request for parliamentary immunity from prosecution on corruption charges. This has all looked very much like an attempt by Mr Netanyahu’s supporters in the White House to hijack the election agenda and trap Mr Gantz in a meeting where he would be, at best, a bystander, if not a side-kick to the great statesman.
Over the weekend, the consensus around Mr Gantz was that he had to find a graceful way of turning down the invitation to the White House. But the president’s advisors turned out not to be so closely aligned with Mr Netanyahu and in bypassing his ambassador to Washington and confidante, Ron Dermer, a new understanding was reached. The US admininstration agreed to Mr Gantz having his own personal meeting with the president and to bringing it forward to Monday, so he could fly back in time for the Knesset session. This allowed the candidate at the same time to present himself as someone treated by the White House as a prime minister-in-waiting, to avoid offending the administration and to appeal to “soft-right” Israeli voters who are no longer enamoured with Mr Netanyahu but who still want to vote for a leader who will be favourable to Mr Trump’s plan.
As for the plan itself, so far there have been unconfirmed and conflicting details of what it contains - and it isn’t even clear when Mr Trump actually plans to present it. The two leaders meeting him today are to be appraised of its contents and their response will probably influence the coming events. Mr Netanyahu, despite his opposition to the truncated Palestinian state which is expected to be in the plan, is expected to enthusiastically endorse it. Mr Gantz will be positive but slightly more circumspect.
Either way, it matters little as the Palestinians have already rejected any plan which will come from the administration that unilaterally recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and shut down the Palestinians’ representation in Washington.
The Trump plan will not bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians. As things stand, it won’t bring peace between Israelis, either.
