The US administration is determined to put forward the peace plan because it believes it will bring security to Israel and a better life for Palestinians, said Jared Kouchner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump and his first adviser to the US peace plan known as the Century Deal.
"We want the Palestinians to live a better life and, on the other hand, to ensure Israel´s security and to be stronger," Kouchner said at the annual Washington Institute for Near East Policy, known as the Surif Dinner, on Thursday. The Palestinians and Israel, stressing that "the two-state solution means two different things for the Palestinians and for Israel."
Knowing that the US administration had previously stated that the plan would be announced after the completion of the formation of the Israeli government for the new and the end of the month of Ramadan, which corresponds to the sixth or seventh of June next, but Kouchner did not confirm or deny the launch date of the plan expected, That he and his team "are working on revising the final document of the plan for delivery to President Trump."
Kouchner stressed that Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is an essential part of any final agreement, stressing at the same time that the plan deals with issues of borders and sovereignty, without mentioning occupied East Jerusalem as a potential capital for the Palestinians.
On December 6, 2017, US President Trump acknowledged Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and transferred it to the US Embassy on May 14, 2018, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Nakba.
"There was a decision that recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and this was difficult because people are not accredited to a president who keeps his promises and the recognition of the truth, and Jerusalem is the capital of Israel," Kouchner said. "This is the reality of what we recognize. This is an important component."
Regarding former Benjamin Netanyahu´s pledges ahead of the April 9 elections on his commitment to annexing some or all of the West Bank to Israel, Kouchner said: "We did not discuss this. "We are working on proposing something that can cure the disease and if you treat the disease, many of the symptoms will disappear."
At the same time, Kouchner did not deny or refute Netanyahu´s comments on the annexation of parts of the occupied West Bank that experts believe include the major settlement blocs. He has also ignored the issue of Palestinian refugees or cut off US aid to Palestinians almost completely in the past 15 months. To accept the "Deal of the Century".
Asked whether the plan would be a surprise to Netanyahu and some leaders of Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, Kouchner said: "We are currently dismissing the codes of the process and we believe that the allies and partners have been consulted and people in important locations will get support .. People who need to know about the plan know about it, but who does not need this knowledge does not know, "condemning the Palestinian Authority, which said that they attacked the plan before you know it .
"What we can prepare is a good starting point for political issues and a general outline of what can be done economically. To feel secure, if you can solve this problem the other problems can be solved, I am optimistic, and will do our best. "
"What I believe in is improving people´s lives and setting up good-quality programs through donors. rise in the economy, People, "accusing the Palestinian leadership of receiving the greatest support in history and then wasting it.
"Israel is a country with its own specificity ... it is the only democracy in the region and an economic partner of the United States. see happen, and for Israel to be safe in the long run, To solve the problem. "
"But for a long time, there was no good ideas or any breakthrough to resolve the issue, and it became intractable. We inherited a difficult situation. We are now working to find a solution, move forward and see it as a realistic plan that can be implemented. "
"I remember the first time I sat down with the negotiators from both sides." I asked them what income could be accepted and accepted by the other side. "The Palestinians said that they should return to the 1967 borders." I asked them not to look back, "he said. "In 2017," We can engage in history, but we do not address the important things that are important to people´s lives. It is important that people feel there is seriousness. "
"Many have lied to the Palestinians, and Arab states claimed to be fighting for them. At the same time, they did not accept them as refugees and did not care about them," he said. "There is also the Hamas movement in Gaza, which destroyed the place. The question now is: Does the Palestinian leadership care about them and their lives or not? Does the leadership have the courage to engage in discussions and improve the lives of the Palestinians , or is its its goal of staying in power and continuing the situation as it is? "
Kouchner said the Palestinian Authority wanted to keep the situation as it was, but at the same time noted that he had met with Palestinian businessmen and talked to them about the plan, saying they showed satisfaction with it, and the reality.
"Doing things the old way" did not lead to a result. "We will do what we believe to be true. People will know that we are honest with them and we have tried hard to take a range of difficult issues. "
"We are helping them get closer to each other," he said. "I hope that the leadership from both sides will sit together and discuss the framework we offer.
"The Palestinians have received more aid than any other group and have not shown much in return. Maybe they want to continue in this situation. We will provide something based on the logic that the Palestinians will live a better life and I think this will be a test for the Palestinians and the international situation. "
"This plan will be a good basis for discussion and will be the basis for a better agreement or situation," he said. "Not trying is a problem in the business world, but in politics, not doing anything is a decision, which is unacceptable."
"Israel has taken control of the Golan Heights for more than 50 years and there is chaos in Syria. There is no doubt that the Golan must be part of Israel," he said.
At the seminar, which was organized to analyze Kouchner´s statements, in which Michael Hiroj, the former army commander who now works for the Institute, and Ghaith al-Amri, a Palestinian, working as a researcher at the Institute close to Israel, At the Institute, who had previously served as a member of the US delegation to the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations, and the senior adviser to the institute, Dennis Ross, who served for decades as a senior adviser to Middle East peace, the participants found nothing positive in the Kouchner review, It will inevitably lead to (PA) for failure. Rob Satloff expressed his belief that the administration did not intend to launch the plan at all.
