Israel Peace Plan in the Works—But Is It Viable?

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, President Trump’s adviser to Israel, recently went to the Middle East to discuss a proposed peace plan involving Israel and the Palestinian Authority. While the alleged plan has not been released to the public, some media have been reporting on a plan supposedly leaked to media sources. According to this information, the proposal calls for a two-state solution. However, for many reasons, a two-state solution will not work.

The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, a well-respected Israeli think tank, reportedly revealed details of the plan. Citing unnamed senior Palestinian Authority sources who learned about the plan from Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the JCPA reported these details about the proposal:

“The Gaza Strip will be declared an independent state together with parts of the West Bank, excluding east Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The Palestinian capital will be located in the Jerusalem suburb of Abu Dis, along with several Arab neighborhoods in northern Jerusalem.”

If this leak is correct, Trump’s peace plan calls for Israel to surrender land that legally belongs to Israel. The so-called two-state solution would establish a capital for the Palestinian Authority in a section of Northern Jerusalem and hand over to the PA Gaza and “parts of the West Bank” (which is biblical Judea and Samaria). This is the same land where the prophet Amos lived and where he wrote the prophecy that the exiled Jews would return to live. This formula is called “land for peace” or the “two-state solution” and history has shown it to be a failure when dealing with the terrorism of the Palestinian Authority.

“Giving away land for peace will never work when one party does not recognize the right of the other to exist,” said Mat Staver, Chairman of Liberty Counsel, President of Christians in Defense of Israel, and founder and president of Covenant Journey. “The Palestinian Authority does not recognize Israel’s right to exist, so no land giveaway will bring peace. If this so-called peace plan includes a two-state solution, it is a non-starter,” said Staver.

Liberty Counsel is an international litigation, education and policy organization. Liberty Counsel has a number of affiliated ministries, including Christians in Defense of Israel and Covenant Journey, a program that provides a life-changing experience in Israel for Christian college-age students who have leadership potential. {eoa}

This article originally appeared at lc.org.