US President Donald Trump and his advisors for the Middle East have begun to formulate the basic frameworks of a new peace initiative to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the New York Times reported Saturday.
The report states that the plan is expected to differ by special advisors including Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Deputy national security adviser Dina H. Powell and others from the State Department and National Security Council.
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Trump seeks to achieve what he has repeatedly described as the “ultimate deal.” However, the new initiative is expected to address settlements and the future of Jerusalem and not necessarily stray too far from previous US policies.
Last week PM Benjamin Netanyahu complimented Trump and his advisors for “taking a fresh approach” and “thinking out of the box.”
Since entering the White House, Trump has sent his main advisors Greenblatt and Kushner to the Middle East to acquaint themselves with the intricacy of the conflict, to lay the groundwork for ending the seemingly hardest conflict to solve.
After months of US shuttle diplomacy, holding meetings with top regional leaders, Trump’s Mid. East advisor Jason Greenblatt said that an agreement would not be forced on the two warring parties. While two-state solution still on cards Greenblatt say ‘Our goal is to facilitate, not dictate, a lasting peace agreement.’
“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,” Greenblatt said .
“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.”
In February, Trump said during a joint press conference in Washington with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would not be wedding his administration to conventional policies, but would be pursuing new ideas as long as both the Israelis and Palestinians could agree.
“I’m looking at two state and one state. And I like the one that both parties like,” Trump said when asked whether he had abandoned the notion of a two-state solution.
Ynet, Reuters and staff
