Two disgraced men; leaders of formerly respected nations; stood before a partisan, biased crowd today and attempted to save their failing positions in their governments. That’s what really happened; the “peace plan” was a farce. Palestinian leaders were not part of the process, and therefore today’s event was a staged political event for two, old, useless old men.

Here’s what was said; absolutely nothing concrete and nothing which would change the status quo in the region. They did not agree to independence and statehood for the Palestinian people. Israel will continue to ‘grab land’ anywhere it pleases and Palestinians will not be allowed to object. They will have a small area of eastern Jerusalem as their capital; an area which is already dominated by Arabs and separated from Israel by fences and borders.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the plan “the slap of the century.”

Speaking at the presidential complex in Ramallah in the West Bank, he said the Palestinian position has not changed in the two years since the US recognized Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.

Let’s be completely honest. This was a thinly veiled effort by Trump and Netanyahu to save their positions in their governments. Trump is desperate to regain some of the Jewish vote in America. He is also desperate to misdirect attention from the current impeachment trial in the senate. Netanyahu is facing criminal charges in Israel and will say and do anything to retain power in the small country.

The end result is ‘no change for the Palestinians and therefore no change and no chance for peace in the Middle East.’

“The Truth Lives Here”

Op-ed by James Turnage

SOURCE

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