Trump Announces Two-State Mideast Peace Plan With Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
U.S. President Donald Trump formally announced his administration’s Mideast Peace Plan alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House today.
The plan, called Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People, is a two-state solution and proposes a Palestinian state with more than double the amount of land Palestinians currently occupy. It also gives Israel sovereignty over the Golan, according to Fox News Chief White House Correspondent John Roberts.
The Palestinians must meet certain criteria, though, before officially becoming a state, namely “rooting out terrorism, stopping ‘pay to slay,’ implementing steps toward free speech” and “political reforms,” Roberts reports.
Trump announced that Jerusalem would be the undivided capital of Israel while Palestine’s capital would be in East Jerusalem, reports Haaretz.
Israel has agreed to halt their settlements for four years, and Trump assured that no Israelis or Palestinians would be forced to leave their homes.
Trump said that Israel will maintain control of Jerusalem, but Israel will work with Jordan to make sure that any Muslims who want to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount will be able to do so freely, reports the Jerusalem Post.
The president also said that roughly $50 billion will go into the new Palestinian state if they agree to this plan.
“There are many countries that want to partake in this,” he said. “The Palestinian poverty rate will be cut in half and their GDP will double and triple.”
Netanyahu and his political rival, Benny Gantz, have both agreed to adhere to this plan no matter the outcome of the March election.
The peace plan announcement comes just hours after Netanyahu was formally indicted on three separate corruption cases.
Watch Trump’s full announcement here in this article.
