TRUMP RELEASES ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN "DEAL OF THE CENTURY", TENSIONS ESCALATE IN PALESTINIAN AREAS
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a joint news conference to announce a new Middle East peace plan proposal in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on January 28, 2020. (Credit: Joshua Roberts, Reuters)
US President Donald Trump held a joint press conference at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today to announce the president’s “Deal of the Century” Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal. Touting his previous pro-Israel initiatives, Trump promised that the latest proposal is the best, and perhaps the last good chance that Palestinians have to achieve statehood, saying that the plan is the “most detailed ever put forward by far. Our proposal provides precise technical solutions to make Israelis, Palestinians and the region safer.” Trump and Netanyahu both outlined key components of the plan, including:
annexation of existing Jewish settlements in the West Bank into Israel
Israel will retain security control of the Jordan Valley on the western border of Jordan, providing a defensible barrier
Jerusalem will remain the undivided capital of Israel, while a Palestinian capital will be recognized in East Jerusalem
Proposed Palestinian state land in the West Bank will remain undeveloped for four years, giving the Palestinian Authority time to implement the agreement
50 billion US dollars of investment into the new Palestinian state, which Trump claimed will add 1 million jobs over 10 years, cut Palestinian poverty in half and raise GDP by 200-300%
The Palestinians must recognize the right of Israel to exist. Hamas must be disarmed and the Gaza Strip demilitarized
A tunnel will connect the West Bank to Gaza
Issue of Palestinian refugee resettlement will have to be resolved outside of Israel
Retain status quo at religious sites, including Temple Mount
Leaders in the Palestinian Authority publicly rejected the new plan even before its announcement, choosing instead to hold joint meetings with other Palestinian factions, including terrorist groups such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The latter groups are responsible for constant rocket fire and other forms of attack against Israeli civilians. Street protests broke out in the West Bank within minutes after the conference, and IDF units in the area were placed on high alert in expectation of a violent backlash. Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas declared called Trump “a dog and the son of a dog,” and left no room for negotiating with his administration, stating “It's either dying like martyrs or flying the Palestinian flag on the walls of Jerusalem.” The Islamist government in Turkey also condemned the peace proposal in a released statement, claiming that it is “an attempt to kill the two-state solution, a plan aiming to annex Palestinian territory…Jerusalem is our red line. We won’t allow steps to legitimize Israel’s occupation, oppression.”
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President Trump struck an accord with other Arab leaders in the Middle East, citing the cooperation of Oman, Bahrain and the UAE in the negotiations. Envoys of the Oman and Bahrain governments were in attendance at the press conference. The Saudi Arabian foreign ministry released an unprecedented public statement in which it endorsed the peace plan, stating that the Kingdom "appreciates the efforts of President Trump's Administration to develop a comprehensive peace plan between the Palestinian and the Israeli sides, and encourages the start of direct peace negotiations under the auspices of the United States..."
President Trump also also cited the recent The president also cited the recent death of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Solemani and his driving vision to “liberate” Jerusalem from Israel by means of war. Trump exhorted Muslim nations around the world to reject this, stating that “In truth, Jerusalem is [already] liberated…It is time for the Muslim world to fix the mistake it made in 1948 when it attacked instead of recognized the State of Israel…America is prepared to work with all parties on our vision.”
Bibi Netanyahu hailed the president’s plan as different from its predecessors, citing that previous plans had failed due to lack of balance between Israeli security concerns in the West Bank and Palestinian aspirations for statehood. Recognizing Israel’s rightful heritage in the Biblical Jewish heartland of Judea and Samaria as a “permanent part of the Jewish state” was a critical step for Israelis, the Prime Minister claimed, stating that he has “agreed to negotiate peace with Palestinians on basis of [the] peace plan. It's a great plan." After listing Trump’s previous pro-Israel initiatives, including the movement of the US embassy to Jerusalem, withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal and recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Netanyahu called Trump the “greatest friend of Israel ever in the White House…it’s not even close.”
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We would ask our global partners to join us in prayer for the safety of our friends and partners in the Israeli Defense Forces, and for peace in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories. We also pray that divine wisdom would be granted to President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Palestinian Authority and other Arab leaders in the region as they continue to navigate this volatile time.
FAI’s Israeli division, Israel Alliance International, is on the ground in the Golan Heights to stay. We covet your prayers for fruitfulness as we enter a new season of ministry and advocacy for Israel and her neighbors.
Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyWovtG_YaA&feature=youtu.be
https://www.timesofisrael.com/islamic-state-announces-new-phase-of-attacks-mainly-targeting-israel/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-general-warns-of-retaliation-against-israel-if-us-threats-continue/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-to-join-palestinian-leadership-meeting-against-trump-plan-officials/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Abbas-Trump-is-a-dog-and-son-of-a-dog-I-wont-become-a-traitor-615572?fbclid=IwAR1piMU-LBAyK8rilNak5LTftyHT4SWGIs4HSFbgqfvutplZA_3pDBI7bcU
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Peace-to-Prosperity-0120.pdf
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/trump-unveil-israeli-plan-latest-updates-200128132737854.html
https://twitter.com/IsraelGazaICN/status/1222122845565702144
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1222223636779741184
https://twitter.com/eha_news/status/1222219697430634496
https://twitter.com/HillelNeuer/status/1222290395238764544
https://twitter.com/sfrantzman/status/1222213656982761473
URGENT: ROCKET FIRE FROM GAZA CONTINUES INTO SECOND DAY, IAF RESPONDS WITH MORE AIRSTRIKES
Air raid sirens are blaring across Southern and Central Israel again for the second morning in a row as Palestinian Islamic Jihad continues to barrage the Jewish State with dozens of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip. The PIJ has "declared war" on Israel for an Israeli Air Force (IAF) pinpoint strike early yesterday morning that killed one if its senior commanders. IDF analysts expect the rocket fire to continue for several more days.
The rockets have caused no direct casualties so far, although an 8-year-old Israeli girl suffered a heart attack yesterday morning while fleeing to a shelter. She is currently being treated in an Israeli hospital in critical condition.
Meanwhile, the IAF has continued strikes in the Gaza Strip, killing several more PIJ and Al-Aqsa Brigades fighters, including senior PIJ al-Quds commander Khaled Moawad Farraj. Hamas has so far not participated in the rocket fire, although Hamas-controlled media broadcast propaganda videos on Tuesday that called for the destruction of Israel. The Israeli Home front agency has published guidelines for Israelis in range of Gazan rocket fire, including the closure of schools, encouragement to non-essential businesses to remain closed and limitations on the sizes of public gatherings.
We ask our global partners to continue in prayer for the safety of the people of Israel and Gaza. We believe the prayers of God's people are powerful and effective, and so far, there have been no reported deaths in Israel or Gaza in the latest round of fighting besides those terror leaders targeted by the IAF in airstrikes.
Sources:
https://twitter.com/AAhronheim/status/1194472444398112768
https://twitter.com/AmichaiStein1/status/1194478726261755905
https://twitter.com/Jtruzmah/status/1194487601572376576
https://twitter.com/newsisrael13/status/1194482257362329600
https://twitter.com/newsisrael13/status/1194482257362329600
https://twitter.com/Jtruzmah/status/1194483220185698304
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Home-Front-Command-announces-directives-amid-Gaza-tension-607681
https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Hamas-TV-plays-Death-to-Israel-song-as-terrorists-launch-rockets-607703
URGENT: ROCKETS RAIN DOWN ON ASHDOD, SDEROT, SIRENS IN TEL AVIV AFTER PIJ COMMANDER ASSASSINATED BY IDF
Image of rockets being launched from the Gaza Strip into Israel (Credit: @Natsecjeff on Twitter)
A senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organization, Baha Abu El-Ata, who was responsible for overseeing hundreds of deadly rocket attacks against Israeli citizens, was assassinated in his home in Gaza this evening after an IAF airstrike. Less than an hour later, another senior political leader of the Islamic Jihad movement was targeted in an airstrike in Damascus, but survived.
PIJ and the military wing of Hamas immediately declared all-out war on Israel, declaring that their retaliation will "have no limits and will be equal to the enemy's crime", shortly before firing dozens of rockets into the Jewish State just over an hour ago. The latest volley of rockets activated sirens as far north as Tel Aviv, and deployed the Iron Dome system across Southern and Central Israel. Schools and businesses have already been advised to close around Tel Aviv tomorrow, as the rocket fire so far shows no sign of abating. No reports of casualties or damage so far.
We would ask our global partners to pray for the safety of both Israeli and Gazan civilians tonight, for the rocket fire to be ineffective, and for Israeli leadership to be granted divine wisdom in their management of the crisis.
Photo: Image of rockets being launched from the Gaza Strip into #Israel (Credit: @Natsecjeff on Twitter)
Souces:
https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1194118576027971584
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-november-12-2019/
https://twitter.com/Jtruzmah/status/1194126428863782912