‘The peace effort during the next couple of months is going to be extremely challenging obviously, with COVID and the economic crisis, but we have to just keep trying’
Israel National News
Jason Greenblatt, former US envoy to the Middle East, told Efi Triger of Galei Tzahal on Thursday that any Israeli declaration of sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria had to be linked to “a commitment to set aside a certain area of land for the eventual, potential Palestinian state.”
Greenblatt asserted that the Trump peace plan was unique from previous peace plans in that it placed demands on the Palestinians.
“There’s a lot of criteria before the Palestinians become a state, if it ever happens. I think that’s what differentiates the plan we released from some of the past efforts. There are things that have to be solved before you begin a discussion on what a Palestinian state should look like.
“Will it happen? Can Israel can extend sovereignty? The answer is yes, but under the peace plan that we released, that comes with a commitment to set aside a certain area of land for the eventual, potential Palestinian state.
“But again, it’s important to stress that that Palestinian state is not the one that people vaguely talk about or one that doesn’t come with a responsible leadership. There are a lot of criteria for [the Palestinians] to establish a state, as there should be.”
He hinted that ongoing disputes between Netanyahu and Gantz have pushed off sovereignty, noting that, “The peace plan that we released back in January does contemplate the application of Israeli law, and I’m sure that once the Israeli government decides what it wants to do, it will do it in coordination with the White House, which I think is the right approach.”
Greenblatt also noted that, “The peace effort during the next couple of months is going to be extremely challenging obviously, with COVID and the economic crisis, and the Palestinian leadership rejecting the Trump peace plan even before it was released. It’s a bumpy road, but nothing has ever been smooth on the peace file, and I think we have to just keep trying. I hope the White House and Israeli government keep trying, and I hope the Palestinian leadership comes to its senses, because I think the plan we presented is a realistic and implementable plan.”