Deepanjali Jain and Prateek Khandelwal, a second year student at O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonepat pursuing B.B.A.,L.L.B.(hons) course and a second year student at Chanakya National Law University, Patna pursuing B.B.A., L.L.B.(hons) course respectively
INTRODUCTION
The famous Israel – Palestine conflict recently reached a new milestone when the United
States of America President Donald Trump announced his Peace Plan 2020 known as Peace to Prosperity. While the Israeli authorities and the citizenry embraced the manoeuvring of Trump’s Peace Plan, the plan was rejected by the Palestinians. The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas immediately denounced the plan as a “conspiracy deal” unworthy of serious consideration, thus making the decades-long pursuit of a so-called two-state solution appear more distant than ever. In the following discussion, the plan will be analysed in the context of the prejudice held by the Trump administration, but before addressing the initiative, it is essential to examine the history behind the issue.
It would seem that this issue has its roots in some past conflict, but instead, the impasse has its inception from a promise which led to where we are now, a promise by the former colonizers of Palestine – the British. They promised the land of Palestine to the Jewish residents of Europe as well as Israel. While both European Jewish residents and Israelis were dreaming of conquering this realm, the British also pledged the land of Palestine to the native Palestinians while discharging suzerainty of the colony. This led to a dilemma, whether the land of Palestine is an asset of Israel or home of the natives.
War is never a solution to any problem; therefore, many have tried to give a peaceful solution for this issue, including the United Nations and the United States of America. From President George W. Bush’s ‘Road Map for Peace’ in 2003 to President Donald Trump’s Peace Plan 2020, the United States of America has always been keen to resolve this issue to prove its dominance over the world. The Trump Peace Plan is claimed to be a ground-breaking document which will ensure peace for both the nations. This document lays out a draft that claims to handle everything from political infrastructure to economic independence, from deciding capital cities to ensuring border security.
The Peace Plan, drawn by the ‘global peacekeeper’ – Trump – claims to set a prosperous way ahead for both the nations. This article shall critically analyse the plan, revealing how it is tilting in favour of Israel and strategically disturbs the peace of Palestine.
VISION BOARD OF PEACE PLAN
The Peace Plan talks about the territorial distribution between Israel and Palestine. The plan ensures that while the countries will have distinctive borders, the residing citizens in those areas will not be asked to move irrespective of their nationality. Israel will have an undisputed authority over the Jordan valley, which consists of a vast expanse of the West Bank while Palestine will get the Gaza strip. President Trump exclaimed in his speech that with this distribution, Palestine would be receiving more than half the amount of land that it is currently in possession of. While the plan seems to be working in favour of both the countries, this clause tends to tilt towards Israel on so many levels. Reports show that Jordan valley has a lot of economic potentials as Dead Sea and Jordan River are geographically very close to the Jordan valley.
They contribute to its fertile soil due to which it has a booming agricultural and tourism sector. While on the other hand, economic conditions in the Gaza strip are constantly collapsing due to terrorist activities which in-turn are resulting in rising unemployment and poverty. Assigning of the Gaza strip to Palestine will adversely affect the overall financial health of Palestine, resulting in a low GDP while at the same time the Jordan valley will continue to prove itself an asset for Israel.
Jordan valley, a prominent area of the west bank, has been a conflicted area for a while now as Israel annexed it from Jordan in the six-day war in 1967. Although the majority of people who live there identify themselves as Palestinians, Israel has occupied most of the bank and has prevented the Palestinians from living in those areas or buying land there. The Palestinians who live there are not provided with water or any basic necessities. Moreover, Israelis are now forcing them out of the remaining area. The international authorities, including the United Nations, have repeatedly pointed out that such annexation is illegal and the settlement of Israel’s civilians in such occupied territories is a war crime. Hence, declaring Jordan valley an annexation to the territories of Israel will show the complete disregard of international laws and insensitivity towards human rights on the part of the United States and more specifically, President Trump.
The Peace Plan also suggests transportation facilities to be built in order to connect the West Bank and Gaza strip for the Palestinian settlers to move across comfortably without causing security breach for Israel. This clause clearly points towards the utmost importance given to the security of Israel’s borders. Additionally, it neglects the possibility of security issues that Palestine will be facing due to the demarcation provided under the plan which divides Palestine into two parts connected through a passage across the territory of Israel. Therefore, Palestine will never be able to have an untied forefront against Israel in the case of a security breach.
The Peace Plan also discusses the capital cities for both nations. They suggest that Jerusalem will remain the undisputed capital for the State of Israel while the eastern Jerusalem, located at the outer edges of Jerusalem, will be acknowledged as Palestine’s capital. It must be noted that Jerusalem has been a contested region as it is considered to be a holy city due to its significant influence on the religion of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Therefore, the citizens of both the countries aspire Jerusalem to be the capital city of their nation and prove their dominance by citing the religious sentiments imputed to the city of Jerusalem. Hence, the Peace Plan declaring Jerusalem as capital for Israel shows bias on the part of President Trump in favour of Israel. Moreover, his lack of sincerity as a neutral party for negotiations can be seen in the inconsiderateness towards religious emotions of Palestinian citizens.
CONCLUSION
Therefore, it can be concluded that the Trump’s Peace Plan 2020 is highly biased. Declaring the annexed Jordan valley as legitimate territory of Israel is a violation of human rights. Further, it is also a more economically beneficial area as compared to the Gaza strip which is assigned to Palestine. Also, announcing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital while it holds such religious values for both the countries is exceptionally wrong towards the sentiments of Palestinian citizens. No measures will ever result in a fruitful truce until both the countries are relieved from the baggage of past atrocities. Even Palestinians at times claimed that there can be no future establishment of an enduring peace or the transformation of the existing hostile relationship between Israel and Palestinians unless Israel admits that its ethnic cleansing of 1948 was a great injustice and wrong.
Trump’s ‘Peace’ Plan is more of a political move as opposed to a plan intended for establishing harmony. It is an attempt to prove world dominance of the United States of America by President Trump and advance his political career internationally. Undoubtedly, such political intent behind the Peace Plan justifies the dissent of the Palestinian authority and their citizens.