‘Trump Peace Plan’ Would Entrap Palestinians in a Vassal State

31.01.2020

The Trump peace plan for Palestine and Israel was announced jointly by two figures presently facing legal allegations in their respective states: Donald Trump, and Benjamin Netanyahu. Announced at the White House on 28 January before a selected audience, the prolonged and frequent interruptions of applause were particularly zealous when the references were to the killing of Iranian war hero General Qasem Soleimani, evidently considered a latter-day Haman; to the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital; to the recognition of Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights; the ‘demilitarisation of Gaza’ (after dislodging Hamas); what was consistently referred to by both the American and Israeli leaders as the Israeli occupation of ‘Judea and Samaria’; and the USA’s withdrawal from the nuclear pact with Iran. Even the mainstream press refers to the plan as decidedly in favour of Israel. [1]

Netanyahu referred to Trump as the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House, while Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was stated to be the individual most responsible for the drafting of the ‘peace plan’. That is to say, the so-called ‘negotiations’ were nothing of the kind, but plainly a joint plan between a team of Zionists resident in the USA, and a team of Zionists resident in Israel. There was no Palestinian input. Mainstream news sources described the U.S. delegation as ‘Jared Kushner’s small team’, comprising ‘the Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, special representative for international negotiations Avi Berkowitz, and senior State Department official Brian Hook’; with ‘Trump’s former negotiator Jason Greenblatt also playing ‘a key role in crafting the plan’. [2]

The Kushner Plan

The plan is called ‘Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People’. As one might expect the document reads like Israeli propaganda; the focus is on Israel as the perpetual victim of aggression and terrorism. It is even said that Israel has never posed any threat to anyone in the region. The record of terrorism on which Israel was founded has been put down the Memory Hole. With the promise of a $50 billion investment programme for the Palestinians if the Palestinian Authority accepts the plan (which it immediately and unequivocally rejected) the document opens with references to the vast economic opportunities. [3] Referring to accords made by Israel with Egypt and Jordan, the image is one of ‘peaceful Israel’: ‘While Israeli citizens have suffered greatly as a result of violence and terrorism, Israelis still desire peace’. [4]

The plan proposes the creation of a Palestinian State. This seems a great and noble concession by the Israeli Government, yet it becomes evident that the outcome will be the vassalage of the Palestinian people. The document states that this so-called ‘state’ will have limited sovereignty: ‘This necessarily entails the limitations of certain sovereign powers in the Palestinian areas (henceforth referred to as the “Palestinian State”) such as maintenance of Israeli security responsibility and Israeli control of the airspace west of the Jordan River’. [5] As will be seen, this ‘limitation of sovereignty’ goes very much further than several aspects of Israel security; and reduces this supposed ‘State’ to the status of a special economic zone for international financial control and exploitation, while the document refers to Palestinian ‘self-determination’. But we are also told that ‘Sovereignty is an amorphous concept that has evolved over time’. [6] So what the USA and Israel mean when they refer to Palestinian ‘self-determination’ is different to the usual definition. It places Palestinians in a collective straightjacket.

Palestinians will apparently be obliged to vote for government that is imposed by the US-Israeli axis. The Palestinian Authority is not acceptable, despite allusions to the USA wanting to work with it. The ‘Palestinian Authority is plagued by failed institutions and endemic corruption. Its laws incentivize terrorism and Palestinian Authority controlled media and schools promote a culture of incitement’. [7] The document outlines a blueprint for investment in education, the arts, and public institutions that will mean the imposition of a virtual occupation government in the mould of the Israel’s and America’s ideas of good governance at a time when the leaders of both are themselves being investigated for corruption. It will mean the end of Palestinians as a people and their globalisation. The document refers to investment in tandem with ‘government reforms’. [8]

While there is a great deal of high-minded rhetoric about how generous Israel has been in giving up occupied territories for the sake of peace, the references by Trump and Netanyahu to Israel’s occupation of ‘Judea and Samaria’ indicate an adherence to an expansionist intent based on interpretations of the Old Testament that envision an eventual Israeli state from the Nile to the Euphrates, the so-called ‘Deed of Covenant’ referred to in Genesis; and it was notable that when referring to ‘Samaria and Judea’ as Israel’s ‘God-given’ territory, Netanyahu at the White House conference alluded to the ‘pastors’ present, the Christian-Zionist Pentecostals to whom Trump will be making his re-election pitch if he survives impeachment proceedings, who would understand the Biblical allusion.

The document claims that Israel will be very generous in conceding territory to create a viable Palestinian state. Israel gives up nothing. Its occupied territories are officially recognised by the USA regardless of the acceptance of the ‘plan’. The Palestinian state mapped out in the document is scattered and thoroughly pot-marked by fanatical Zionist enclaves that will, states the document, be part of Israel. Significantly, it is claimed that the borders are designed to facilitate Palestine into becoming part of a ‘regional and global economy’, and will greatly benefit convenience and speed of travel. [9] Nonsense. The ‘state’ is designed to be kept in a vulnerable position. The Jordan Valley will be under Israel, with Palestinian agriculturalists subjected to licensing. Israel will control the territorial waters. Palestinians will be located on the borders of Hamas-controlled Gaza, which might be regarded as building a human security wall rather than as an example of Israel’s ‘generosity’.

While Jews can relocate to Israel from anywhere in the world, regardless of a total ancestral disconnection with the land, under Israel’s ‘law of return’, the plan specifically denies this to Palestinians. Those forced out of their homes, the inter-generational Palestinian Diaspora, through terrorism going back to Haganah, Palmach, Stern and Irgun, and by the Israeli army, are unequivocally denied any chance of ever again seeing their ancestral lands. [10]

Of particular importance is Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Unsurprisingly, this receives special attention in the ‘plan’. It is stated that ‘The State of Israel has been a good custodian of Jerusalem’. Like the claim that Israel is the perpetually innocent victim of aggression and terrorism, this is nonsense. The Holy sites under Israeli control, and not only in Jerusalem, and the indignities inflicted on pilgrims and Holy men, have been constant. [11] To allude to the necessity of Jerusalem’s Holy sites, and particularly ‘the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif’ being treated with the ‘utmost sensitivity’ [12] is an outrage. Rather, the ‘Temple Mount’, the site of the present al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest places for Islam, is said to be the site of the Temple of Solomon, which must be rebuilt and a 100% red cow sacrificed, before the messiah can descend. Zealous Israelis plan to demolish the mosque and rebuild the temple. This Temple Mount movement has widespread support in Israel. If Netanyahu himself has rejected this goal of rebuilding the Temple of Solomon, why does he refer to the site as ‘Temple mount’, as he did at the White House conference? How sincere are such platitudes from the architects of the ‘peace plan? Recently Haaretz reported: ‘Last year the U.S. Ambassador David Friedman was photographed holding up a large image of the Temple Mount that had been edited to replace the Dome of the Rock [13] with a simulation of the Third Temple. The incident sparked outrage, leading the American embassy to issue an apology, saying the ambassador was not aware of the change made to the picture’. [14] To claim that Friedman was not aware of something so important is pure bunk.

Economic Zoning & Globalisation

What is called ‘The Trump Economic Plan’ shows that one of the primary aims of the blueprint is to open Palestine up to global economic exploitation, and to create a vassal state whose every function and even culture will be determined by global investors and NGOs of the type that are driving globalisation throughout the world. The ‘plan’ is a ‘colour revolution’ by another name and behind another façade. The rhetoric is the same as that used around the world by globalists when they have marked an area for ‘regime change’: ‘The first initiative will unleash the economic potential of the Palestinian people. By developing property and contract rights, the rule of law, anti-corruption measures, capital markets, a pro-growth tax structure, and a low-tariff scheme with reduced trade barriers, this initiative envisions policy reforms coupled with strategic infrastructure investments that will improve the business environment and stimulate private-sector growth. …’ [15]

The aim is blatant: to open the area up to a free market economy. One of the immediate aims seems to be to make Palestine part of a regional economic bloc that includes Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon. [16] The aim is stated as being a ‘free trade zone’. [17] Global investment will be administered through a ‘multilateral development bank’. This institution will be the de facto government of Palestine: ‘The fund’s leadership will work with beneficiaries to outline annual investment guidelines, development goals, and governance reforms that will support project implementation in the areas identified within Peace to Prosperity’. [18] There is no aspect of Palestine, economically, socially, politically, educationally, and culturally that will be left alone. Financial institutions engaging in international financial markets will be established ‘in the same manner as financial institutions of western democracies’. [19] That means another people, in the name of ‘democracy’ will be subjected to debt, regardless of usury (riba) being a sin in Islamic law. Despite all the difficulties (Palestine does not have its own currency) there are efforts to operate an Islamic banking system. The new usurious financial system will be overseen by an authority. Palestine will not be burdened by defence spending, because Israel will have responsibility for security. That is, Palestine will be defenceless, other than for internal policing. [20] The ‘plan’ blatantly states that Palestine will be ‘fully demilitarised’. [21] Who but a craven fool or a traitor would accede to such a suicidal demand?

The fundamentals for creating a ‘Palestinian State’ are succinctly listed. These include: Western, liberal notions of government; a financial system that can operate on the international market, and join the International Monetary Fund; elimination of any negative references to Israel, particularly in schools; a defenceless population, while Zionist settler extremists are armed to the hilt. [22] However, we are assured that ‘the State of Israel is not a threat to the region whatever’. Iran is the primary bogey-man, [23] but nothing is said of the actual sponsor of jihadist terrorism, the USA’s ally, Saudi Arabia.

What is called the ‘Vision’ renders Palestinian statehood non-existent in the guise of recognising a Palestine state. What is being proposed is ‘Palestine’ forever fragmented, and dotted throughout with the settlements of armed religious zealots, Palestinians being left without recourse to their own defence, with loss of control over their own economy, infrastructure, education system, technology, and resources.

[1] Michael Crowley and David Halbfinger, ‘Trump releases Mideast peace plan that strongly favors Israel’, New York Times, 28 January 2020; https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/28/world/middleeast/peace-plan.html

[2] ‘Jared’s Peace Plan finally arrives’, Axios, 27 January 2020; https://www.axios.com/trump-middle-east-peace-plan-jared-kushner-ee48e415-860e-43ad-beda-4f9bfa40fce1.html

[3] ‘Peace to Prosperity’, p. 2.

[4] ‘Peace to Prosperity’, p. 2.

[5] ‘Peace to Prosperity’, p. 3.

[6] ‘Peace to Prosperity’, p. 9.

[7] ‘Peace to Prosperity’, p. 4.

[8] ‘Peace to Prosperity’, p. 4.

[9] ‘Peace to Prosperity’, p. 11.

[10] ‘Peace to Prosperity’, p. 32.

[11] For the question of Jerusalem see: K. R. Bolton, ‘U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital: A Travesty of History’, Foreign

Policy Journal, 24 May 2018; https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2018/05/24/us-recognition-of-jerusalem-as-israels-capital-a-travesty-of-history/

On the matter of the desecration of sacred places under Israeli occupation and the harassment of Holy men see: Bolton, ‘Foreign Policy Journal, 17 October 2013; https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2013/10/17/grave-desecrations-rabbis-death-show-rare-glimpses-of-israels-religious-fanatici...