Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is reportedly going to offer significant concessions in the Israeli peace process when he meets Trump in Palestine Tuesday.
Abbas plans on saying he is willing to concede 6.5 percent of Palestinian territory to Israel in the meeting, reported Middle East Eye. This most recent expected offer would represent a significant shift in Palestinian strategy as they were willing to give up only 1.9 percent of their territory during the last round of negotiations in 2014.
Abbas asked Trump to reopen negotiations with a return to Israel’s 2008 offer when the two leaders met in early May, to allow Palestine to vacate 6.3 percent of their territory in the West Bank in exchange for 5.8 percent of Israeli territory in the Gaza strip. But Palestine refused the offer, and countered with a significantly smaller land swap, which was in turn rejected by the Israelis.
Abbas’ newfound willingness to cooperate can be seen as a response to Trump’s strong rhetoric regarding his commitment to make what he has called “the ultimate deal” between the two historically hostile nations. Jibril Rajoub, a senior Palestinian official close to Abbas, confirmed Palestinian confidence in Trump, calling him a “serious president” who “seeks to have a real deal, not just managing the conflict.”
While Palestinian Authority officials seem willing to cooperate in Trump’s effort to revitalize negotiations, much of Palestine’s population is not on board. Awni al-Mashni, a member of the Fatah movement, the dominant faction within the PA, told MEE, “even if Abbas has agreed to give up Jerusalem, no one can impose anything on the Palestinian people, and the Palestinian people won’t allow that to happen.”
Mashni pointed out there will be significant opposition to any land swap from hardliners in Palestine and Israel, making any long term agreement unlikely.
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