The Charade of Trump’s “Deal of the Century”
Earlier this year, Donald Trump presented his so-called peace plan for the Middle East, a travesty of a scheme that seeks to rubber-stamp Israeli land grabs and shatter the project of Palestinian sovereignty. Former Knesset member for the Arab Party list Haneen Zoabi on why it must be overturned.
US president Donald J. Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands in the Oval Office of the White House March 25, 2019 in Washington, DC.Michael Reynolds – Pool / Getty
In January, Donald Trump released his vision for Middle East peace, hailing his plan as the “deal of the century.” In reality, the plan is a “deal” for one side only, granting every demand extremist right-wing Israelis have ever made — bar expulsion. It was drafted by administration officials with long-standing support for Israeli settlements, without Palestinian input, and offered Palestinians Bantustan-like enclaves in the West Bank
The deal is a list of Israeli exemptions from war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel thus gained from the formula in which violations that are not immediately held to account slowly turn to norms by which to live.
The Deal of the Century is the expected outcome of ignoring Israel’s long-standing violations of international law.
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