Trump proposes a two-state solution for Israel-Palestine in ‘win-win opportunity’ for both sides

Donald Trump has proposed a two-state solution for Israel-Palestine which would see the Palestinian capital located in east Jerusalem, in a move the US president called a “big step towards peace.”

Trump said that Israel had agreed to negotiate on the basis of a conceptual and detailed proposed map for the first time. If Israel agrees to the proposed map, the US will recognize it, he said.

The plan will “more than double the Palestinian territory” and “no Israelis or Palestinians will be uprooted.” The US will also “proudly” open an embassy in the new Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem, Trump said.

Trump boasted that he has done “a lot” for Israel since taking office. It’s “only reasonable that I have to do a lot for the Palestinians” too or it “wouldn’t be fair," he added.

In return for US recognition of Israel's settlements in the occupied West Bank, Israel would accept a four-year freeze on new settlement building while Palestinian statehood is negotiated.

The plan will also set up a $50 billion economic revival program for Palestinians, Jordan and Egypt.

Standing alongside Trump, Netanyahu said the presence of ambassadors from Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in Washington boded well for the success of the Trump plan.

Netanyahu said previous attempts to solve the crisis "did not strike the right balance" between dealing with Israel's fears for its security and Palestinians' desire for self-determination.

The PM also said that Trump has been the "best friend" Israel has ever had and though there have been good friends of Israel's in the White House before, they do not even "come close" to Trump.

Netanyahu was also full of praise for Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was the chief author of the plan, saying that it was "great to have these real estate people" involved territorial disputes because they can “come up with things normal human beings don't think about.” He added that Israel owes both Kushner and Trump "an eternal debt of gratitude."

Despite the positive words from Washington, however, the Palestinian side has already said it will reject the plan. The Trump administration, having made numerous and major concessions to Israel since 2017, is not seen by the Palestinians as a neutral arbiter in the conflict.

Speaking to Reuters before the release of the plan, top Palestinian envoy to Britain Husam Zomlot said the announcement would be a "piece of political theatre" and will push the situation "over the cliff and into apartheid."

Meanwhile, Hamas also rejected the plan as "nonsense" and called Trump's statement "aggressive."

A top advisor to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tweeted that the Trump plan is "solely" a deal made "between the Zionist regime [of Israel] and America” and that interaction with Palestians is “not on the agenda.”

Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi said, however, that the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as the capital is the "only path to comprehensive and lasting peace" but also warned against potential consequences of unilateral measures taken by Israel.

Following his remarks, Trump sent a tweet in Arabic with a map attached of "what the future state of Palestine might look like."

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