Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has said that Israel “should not be worried” about the upcoming “deal of the century”, as it does not demand anything in return for the US’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital or the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
Haley was yesterday interviewed by editor-in-chief of Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, Boaz Bismuth, in New York.
Bismuth asked Haley whether Israelis should be worried that the “deal of the century” – the long-awaited “peace” plan spearheaded by senior advisors to US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt – will demand concessions in return for the administration’s moves on Jerusalem and Golan.
Ex-ambassador Haley: Israel's security is paramount in Trump's peace deal: Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley shared her confidence in the "Deal of the Century." https://t.co/45unGvpnP2 JPost pic.twitter.com/B6WJyqiRAX
— Jewish Community (@JComm_NewsFeeds) June 13, 2019
President Trump previously claimed Israel would have to pay a “high price” for the administration’s moves on Jerusalem, which saw the US relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem last May.
The former UN ambassador yesterday appeared to contradict Trump’s claims, telling Bismuth that
“Israel should not be worried. Because through the Middle East plan [deal of the century], one of the main goals that Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt focused on was to not hurt the national security interests of Israel”.
Haley continued:
“Everybody should want to make way for a better situation in Israel and I think it can happen. So rather than pushing back against what we don’t know, I hope everybody [will] lean in on the possibilities of what the peace plan could look like.”
Nikki Haley to Israel Hayom: it is hard to see an opportunity in which Mahmoud Abbas is even going to come to the table, and .. It shows the Arab community’s true colors, that they [the Arab states] don’t really care about the Palestinians,https://t.co/ttIlhV2I8b
— Gary Lewis ?? ?? (@slidemongoose) June 13, 2019
Haley went on to criticize the Palestinian Authority (PA) for its rejection of the deal and decision to boycott the “Peace and Prosperity” conference, which will unveil the economic elements of the plan later this month in the Bahraini capital Manama.
“At this point, it is hard to see an opportunity in which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is even going to come to the table,” she claimed, adding:
“I think that […] it shows Abbas’ true colors.”
Rumors among Palestinians that Trump’s Deal of the Century will include a demilitarized ‘New Palestine’ that will pay Israel to defend its borders. Not sure where the info originated but it’s circulating on Pal social media https://t.co/oLsHD6n30Z
— Dalia Hatuqa (@DaliaHatuqa) May 7, 2019
The PA has flatly rejected the “deal of the century” on the grounds that it ignores demands for a Palestinian state on 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital, as well as the plight of some five million refugees who have been denied the right of return since the Nakba of 1948.
The deal is also expected to declare Israel’s illegal West Bank settlement blocs part of Israel, maintain Israel’s occupation of the Jordan Valley and offer Abu Dis – a district of Jerusalem cut off from the rest of the Holy City by Israel’s Separation Wall – as the future Palestinian capital.
'This is not a peace plan': Palestinians shun Bahrain conferencehttps://t.co/Kwzp5KTHn1 # Peace plan under Trump, Natanyahu or Gulf States will not succeed they want to sell Palestine to Israel
— mohamed omar (@mohamed18243187) May 21, 2019
The PA has also called on Arab states to boycott the conference. Thus far Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco have yet to confirm their attendance in Manama, while Lebanon has announced it will boycott the conference.
However the Gulf states – including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia – have said they will attend, in a move which has been seen as further evidence of their increasingly-normalized relations with Israel.
(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)