Deal Of The Century To Be Unveiled After Ramadan – Report
The United States’ much-anticipated plan for Middle East peace will be unveiled after the holy fasting month of Ramadan, revealed White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, according to a source familiar with his remarks.
Kushner urged a group of ambassadors on Wednesday to keep an “open mind” about President Donald Trump’s so-called “deal of the century” and said it will require compromises from both sides.
The unveiling of the deal will also take place after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin forms a new government. Ramadan ends in June.
“We will all have to look for reasonable compromises that will make peace achievable,” Kushner said, according to the source, who asked to remain anonymous.
Kushner, one of the main architects of the peace proposal and who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, spoke to about 100 ambassadors from around the world at Blair House, the presidential guest home across the street from the White House. He spoke as part of a State Department series of speeches.
The proposal has two major components: A political piece that addresses core political issues such as the status of Jerusalem, and an economic part that aims to help the Palestinians strengthen their economy.
Unclear is whether the plan will propose outright the creation of a Palestinian state, the Palestinians’ core demand.
During his remarks, Kushner pushed back on the idea that the Trump peace plan was mostly centered around the economic package, saying the political component is “very detailed,” the source said, according to Reuters.
The White House had no comment.
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said on Wednesday that Netanyahu is unlikely to follow through on an election pledge to annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank until after the United States has unveiled its plan.
“I think we will respect the efforts of the administration. I don’t think we will see any major action done by our government before the peace plan will be presented,” Danon told reporters in New York.
The Palestinians and many countries consider the settlements illegal under the Geneva conventions that bar settling on land captured in war.
