US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the US’ Palestine-Israel peace plan arguably “unexecutable” in a private meeting with Jewish leaders on Tuesday.
In an audio recording of the meeting obtained by the Washington Post, Pompeo expressed his skepticism of the secret plan, due to be revealed in a few weeks in Bahrain, saying that it might not “gain traction” and could be seen as “not particularly original”.
In leaked audio Pompeo gives the most candid comments on the "deal of the century" we've heard, saying "one might argue" it's "unexecutable" and that he gets why people think it's going to be a deal only Israel could love. @John_Hudson gets the goods. https://t.co/uHrDZ9L5nc
— Loveday Morris (@LovedayM) June 2, 2019
He recognized the popular idea that the agreement would be “a deal that only the Israelis could love” and hoped for people to “just give the space to listen and let it settle in a little bit.”
Responding to a participant’s question about efforts to bring Palestinians on board, Pompeo said that “everyone will find something to hate about the proposal” but that they would also “find something… to build upon.”
In a closed meeting with Jewish leaders, @SecPompeo all but concedes that Trump's famous "deal of the century" is unworkable: "I get why people think this is going to be a deal that only the Israelis could love, I understand the perception of that." https://t.co/jzEJdhRXRd
— Mondoweiss (@Mondoweiss) June 3, 2019
The US administration under President Donald Trump has consistently adopted policies hostile towards Palestinians, such as moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, closing the PLO delegation in Washington and cutting off aid to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
"Trump's Peace Plan Could Be Called 'Unexecutable,' Mike Pompeo Tells Conference of Presidents."
Even Pompeo pronounces the "deal of the century" DOA. https://t.co/UV7BbfkuV8 pic.twitter.com/t8uSMJMvrw— Tikun Olam (@richards1052) June 3, 2019
These comments come at a stark contrast to the US Administration’s rhetoric on their peace plan, dubbed the “deal of the century”, an attempt by Trump to resolve the long-standing Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Trump yesterday responded to Pompeo’s sobering remarks, conceding that he “may be right” in his assessment of the peace plan.
(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)