2 Peace Confabs, Both Unwilling to Give Way
Two major conferences on the Middle East conflict happened this week. Both camps claimed to be working on finding solutions to the Israel-Palestine war but are held back by their uncompromising stand. Stakeholders are watching developments that will unfold under the watch of the newly installed Trump administration.
In the West, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the largest pro-Israel lobbying group, held its policy conference in Washington, D.C. on Monday, March 27. While in the Middle East, the 22-member Arab League gathered for its annual summit on Wednesday, March 29, on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea.
Speaking from Jerusalem through videoconference, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the AIPAC participants and assured that the U.S.-Israel relationship is "stronger than ever." He cited President Donald Trump's U.S. budget proposal that "leaves military aid to Israel fully funded" at $3.1 billion.
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Netanyahu's statement betrays Israeli's disappointment at Trump's unfulfilled campaign rhetoric to transfer the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to its capital Jerusalem and to dismantle the Iran nuclear deal. The president downgraded the promised embassy relocation by saying he is giving it "serious consideration."
GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan, on the other hand, told AIPAC that rather than terminate the Iran nuclear deal, the United States must "vigorously enforce" it and "tighten the screws on Iranian compliance." Trump has also been critical to Israel's expansion in the West Bank of late, telling it to "hold back on settlements for a little bit."
Despite these setbacks, Reuters quoted Netanyahu as saying that "Israel is committed to working with President Trump to advance peace with the Palestinians and with all our neighbors." But the commitment comes with the condition that Palestine must recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Over at the Arab League summit, the 21 kings, presidents and top officials present reaffirmed their 2002 peace plan if Trump is willing to mediate. The initiative offers regional peace in exchange for Palestinian statehood, a thorny issue that involves ceding east Jerusalem which Israel refuses to grant.
