Middle East
As a World Tour competitor, the Israeli team qualified to participate in the 2020 UAE Tour, which begins in Abu Dhabi and consists of a 148-kilometer course across all seven United Arab Emirates.
“The ‘deal of the century,’ the opportunity of the century; we’re never going to have something like this [again], and the only one who will implement it, is me,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
While the new U.S. Mideast proposal “is better than previous plans of previous administrations—anything we have seen over the last decades—a Palestinian state just a few miles from Israeli population centers is not part of my vision,” said Likud Knesset member Gideon Sa’ar.
Much of the diplomacy takes place over time and under the radar, says Malcolm Hoenlein, longtime executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, “by building meaningful relationships across the board.”
It’s “no more than a memo of understanding” between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, says Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.
Speaking to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, the prime minister explained mechanics of the newly released “Peace to Prosperity” proposal, as well as changing relations between Israel and Muslim nations.
It is tasked with mapping the areas to which Israel will extend its sovereignty under the newly revealed Mideast peace plan.
“The proposals tabled two weeks ago challenge internationally agreed parameters,” said European Union diplomat Josep Borrell. “It is difficult to see how this initiative can bring both parties back to the table.”
The first Palestinian public-opinion survey conducted since the release of proposal finds plummeting support for the two-state solution and nearly two-thirds of Palestinians supporting violence against Israel.
The Trump peace plan is to be followed by a non-aggression agreement between Israel, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Egypt and Jordan, and possibly also Morocco.
Despite the significant achievements of the Egyptian security forces, the Sinai affiliate of ISIS is still very much a force to be reckoned with; its threats should be taken seriously.
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas was joined at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who called Abbas a “man of peace” and the “only partner” Israel has in peace negotiations.
