The Biden administration is spearheading an ambitious new Middle East peace plan together with key regional partners such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, the Washington Post reported Thursday. The proposal includes a timeline for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, conditional on progress on issues like settlement withdrawal and security guarantees for Israel.
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The urgency comes as the US seeks to finalize a ceasefire deal with Hamas over Gaza, aiming to secure an agreement before the start of Ramadan on March 10. Officials hope a pause in violence can create space for the plan's announcement and initial implementation. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far refused Palestinian preconditions around state formation and voiced skepticism.
Video: Israelis welcome news of freed hostages, call to release the rest in captivity / Credit: Reuters
"The elephant in the planning room is Israel, and whether its government will acquiesce to much of what is being discussed: the withdrawal of many, if not all, settler communities on the West Bank; a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem; the reconstruction of Gaza; and security and governance arrangements for a combined West Bank and Gaza. The hope is that Israel would also be offered specific security guarantees and normalization with Saudi Arabia and other Arab states that would be hard to refuse," the newspaper wrote.
According to the report, US officials said the range of actions under consideration are early US recognition of a Palestinian state – "even as elements of political reform, security guarantees for both Israel and the Palestinians, normalization and reconstruction are being implemented." The paper noted that "central to the effort is a proposed unity Palestinian government focused on reconstruction and preparing institutions for statehood, potentially sidelining both Hamas and current President Mahmoud Abbas after promised elections."
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